UK Promoted Newswire Archive
TopShop Oxford Street London payday protest
19-12-2010 12:22
UKuncut TopShop Oxford Street London payday protest against tax avoidence 18 December 2010
UKuncut are a campaign group focused on highlighting corporate tax avoiders. On Saturday the 18th December 2010 UK Uncut organised a UK wide set of protests targeting companies they believe have used tax avoidance to siphon off huge sums of money out of the United kingdom.
One target corporation is Arcadia which include such high street names as BHS, Burtons, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit and Topshop. This video shows part of what happened at Topshop's flagship London Oxford Street store on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Philip Green is a multi-billionaire who runs the Arcadia Group which is owned by his tax exile wife Tina. In 2005 Arcadia paid a dividend of £1.2 billion -- the biggest payout in British corporate history -- to Green's wife. As a resident of Monaco, she pays no income tax, meaning that massive payday was entirely tax-free. The coalition UK Government then made Green a government adviser on cuts.
For more information on UK Uncut please visit:http://ukuncut.org.uk
Tax dodging shops feel the pressure
18-12-2010 20:22
Bristol city centre tax dodgers feel the pressure after the Uk uncut inspired protests come to Bristol on the busiest shopping day of the year. Shops are shut down, protesters infiltrate Topshop, shoppers faint as they find out the scale of tax dodging carried out by Bristol’s shop owners, Police support protest. Forget the next shopping revolution, the new word on the streets is shutting the shops down, hitting them where it hurts the bottom line.Bristol contains a huge and varied range of shops, oops sorry I mean tax dodging corporations sucking the life out of our economy on a daily basis. It seems that Philip Green has infiltrated the shopping consciousness with his bastions of consumerism Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins (does this women even exist), Burton, Evan etc. This repulsive man propagates our high streets with his goods, yet feels it is okay to siphon any profit to tax havens (Monaco) and his wife (1.2 billion pay off). It seems that this tax dodger shops shares Bristol City Centre with Vodaphone and their tax avoidance skills and Barclays who are on hand to help your corporation offshore your tax. So as these organisations and their owners wallow in your own wealth, we see public services cut and people’s lives destroyed. Not only this but Philip Green has been appointed by the ConDem government to oversee the swingeing austerity measures whilst he effectively stealing from the economy. This is a man if you don’t hate already is also best friends with Simon Cowell and Michael Winner.
But today the Bristol Anti-cuts Resistance came to town, coming out in solidarity with Protesters across the country taking a stand against this evil tax avoidance, which costs the government fifteen times more than benefit fraud in lost revenue (and amounts to approximately £14bn a year), and tax avoidance which amounts to over £25bn a year.
This faction consists of a range of concerned citizens from Bristol's best coming together to fight the good fight to save our treasured public services. This non-hierarchal bunch of freedom fighters decided to take on this axis of evil based in the Centre of Boadmead. First to shut was vodaphone who seem to designed new tactics with the shutters coming down almost instantly as the faction approached. Next in a three pronged attack Barclays locked its doors instantly and through windows the manager was seen hanging his head is shame, obviously saddened at his implication in such atrocious tax avoidance (hope your bonus is worth it). Then opposite the next target was British Home Stores, funny name for a shop whose owner actively takes money off the British People, making it more expensive to live in their home, I suppose the store bit is accurate. So after holding the ground in the axis of evil for several hours, the resistance moved to combat the big cheese Top Shop. Brave comrades entered the shop incognito and resisted the consumerist machine, they bought nothing even though gloves were on offer and it was cold. This crack group of protesters resembling the A-Team managed to raise awareness of Top Shop customers and staff from the inside. Rather than being glad of this and thanking the protesters for showing them the light, security guards and police were on hand to stop the staff from rebelling and giving away clothes for free out of disgust of their bosses tax dodging skills. Next was Dorothy Perkins, despite continued calls to speak to her, old Dorothy failed to show, problem sunning herself in Monaco with Phils wife and mates Michael Winner, Simon Cowell. It was at this point the shoppers could not take any more and frail members of the public began to faint after the scale of the tax dodging was becoming more and more clear.
So all in all a good day for the Bristol Anti-cuts Resistance, several shops shut for several hours, masses of the general public supported the cause, shop owners see the error of their ways and a great day was had by all. Protestors sent a big shout out to the Police for their continued support of the demonstration, making sure they were with demonstrators at all time to showing their solidarity to resistance, you have got to give it to them they are always there come rain or shine helping to bring forth the new shopping revolution and fighting the cuts.
See you on the streets, next year the resistance and police have even bigger demo's planned.
Security Guards Hate Leaflets
18-12-2010 17:22
Protests against companies accused of dodging taxes took place across the UK today, with protestors in Kendal, Cumbria targeting Topshop and Vodafone. The group were met with swift action by shopping centre security guards, furious that anyone would dare to hand out leaflets to shoppers. Violent removal followed.
Greedy Boots Bosses protest (Sheffield)
18-12-2010 16:51
HSBC Occupied in #ukuncut action
18-12-2010 16:22
In central London, 23 activists have staged a 'sleep-in' [1] as the £2bn that HSBC will save could have paid for the estimated £1.8bn cuts to housing benefit which will force many to lose their homes. 20 Activists are also currently occupying an HSBC branch in central Liverpool.
Emi Summers says "Its bad enough Vodafone got let off, but now other companies like HSBC are all pushing to get the same deal from HMRC. With a current Minister having led the bank while this tax dodging was happening who knows what dodgy back room deals are going on. These companies should be made to pay the full tax so we can save our vital public services from being slashed"
This comes as Ukuncut holds its biggest day of action yet with protests taking place in over 50 towns and cities across the country against the coalition's public sector cuts and wide-spread tax avoidance by the wealthiest in society.
UKuncut have revealed today that HSBC is their latest target after it emerged yesterday that the bank is trying to be let off a £2billion tax bill. Ukuncut activists have today secretly targeted two of its branches in central London and Liverpool.
This follows on from an investigation printed only yesterday in Private-Eye by the former HMRC tax-inspector Richard Brookes. In it, he states that following the decision by HMRC to reduce Vodafone's tax bill by up to £6billion, it is thought that HSBC are trying to reach a similar settlement which will reduce their tax bill by £2billion. The current Trade Minister, Stephen Green, was also the Chief Executive of HSBC throughout the period that this tax avoidance took place.
Elsewhere, Sir Philip Green and Vodafone are likely to remain the focus of the growing public anger against tax avoidance by multi-national corporations and extremely wealthy individuals, that is estimated to cost the public purse £25billion every single year [2].
Each protest around the country has been organised autonomously by local people, often rapidly via Twitter and Facebook. Protests planned for today include pickets, sit-ins and flashmobs. There will be a disruptive tour of tax dodgers in Brighton and a 'Monaco Grand Prix' around Topshop in Oxford.
In London, hundreds of protesters will hit Oxford Street. Divided into two groups, they will stage a 'read in' at Vodafone's flagship store and a 'sports day' inside Topshop's flagship store, to highlight cuts to local libraries and school sports. Philip Green's £285m tax dodge could pay for two years of school sports and Vodafone's tax dodge could pay for every single cut to local governments this year.
Protesters have even designed an iPhone app to help people angry at the cuts to locate their local tax avoider and join their nearest protest [3].
Sir Philip Green owns the fashion empire Arcadia, which spreads across 2,500 UK stores and includes top brands such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins [4]
Green's empire Acardia is owned by Taveta Investments Limited - a holding company registered to a small office on the tax-haven island of Jersey [5]
Sir Philip Green is not however the official owner of Taveta Investments. Instead, the owners are his wife and immediate family, who reside in Monaco [6]
Monaco is of course famous for its 0% income tax. As a result, when Sir Philip Green - the 9th richest man in the UK with wealth estimated at £4.4bn in 2008 - in 2005 made the largest single dividend payout in UK corporate history to his wife of £1.2bn, he avoided paying a reported £285million in tax to the British public purse [7]
Amid criticism from key MPs, Sir Philip Green was also asked by the coalition government this year to advise them on austerity and cuts within the civil service [7]
Steven Hall, 31, said "Philip Green is a multi-billionaire tax avoider, and yet is regarded by David Cameron as an appropriate man to advise the government on austerity. His missing millions need to be reclaimed and invested into public services, not into his wife's bank account."
The UK uncut movement started in October, when over 30 Vodafone stores were closed by ordinary people who blockaded and picketed the store's entrances to stop trading 13 [8]
Those protests were sparked after Vodafone reached a ‘settlement' on a long standing tax dispute with HMRC earlier this year, following the change in government. Some experts believe the deal meant that Vodafone saved up to £6bn in tax [9].
Rebecca Davies, 32, said: "Over four years £100bn is expected to be lost the public purse to tax avoidance, which could pay for so many of the cuts that will hit the poorest in our society"
"The argument that only way to cut the public deficit is to cut public services is a lie. The coalition is ideologically smashing a public sector that supports the poorest in society."
She continued today that "Ordinary people around Britain will stand up and show that they will not be lied to, and that we will not let these unnecessary cuts happen without a fight."
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For further comment:
UK Uncut: | ukuncut@gmail.com | 07597354939 | 07591992825 |
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Notes to editors:
[1] http://twitpic.com/3h29it
http://twitpic.com/3h2884
[2] Richard Murphy, a long standing and respected campaigner on the issue of tax-avoidance has produced a report stating that 25bn is lost to the public purse by tax avoidance. £13bn through individuals. £12bn through large corporations.
http://www.tuc.org.uk/touchstone/Missingbillions/1missingbillions.pdf
[3] http://ukuncut.mobi/
[4] http://www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/about/index.html Arcadia also own, Burton, Wallis, Evans and Topman.
[5] http://www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/about/index.html
And the office in jersey was shown by Channel 4's Dispatches broadcast on Monday 18th October.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-72/episode-1
[6] http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2004/nov/03/money
[7] http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2010/08/13/sir-philip-green-the-wrong-man-to-head-a-review-of-public-spending/
[8] see www.ukuncut.org.uk
[9] The original investigation was completed by Richard Brookes, a tax inspector, at Private-Eye, but has since been written about by other journalists.
http://www.private-eye.co.uk/sections.php?section_link=in_the_back
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=514832&in_page_id=2
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/14/vodafone-tax-evasion-revenue-customs
Full article | 2 additions | 11 comments
#ukuncut actions around the country mark 'Payday'
18-12-2010 12:13
Earlier today, flashmobbers staged a sleep-in at HSBC Covent Garden, to highlight the homelessness that could be avoided if the bank hadn't evaded an estimated £2Bn in tax. The action was part of a nationwide series of 'PayDay' protests against tax evading businesses, orchestrated under the banner of UKuncut. many protestors reported a positive reaction to the actions from shoppers and passers by.
Audio from Screening "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo"
16-12-2010 21:54
Edinburgh : A4e invaded on Anti Welfare Cuts Day of Action
16-12-2010 20:22
Supporters of Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty invaded a4e’s Edinburgh office on 15 November to distribute leaflets urging the unemployed people attending the Flexible New Deal provider to stand up for their rights. The action - organised as part of the Britain-wide Day of Action against Welfare Cuts – was in resistance to A4e’s refusal to recognise Edinburgh Claimants representatives and to the whole workfare system. These compulsory work-for-your-benefits schemes are set to be intensified by the ConDem's "Work Programme".
Palestine Today 12 16 2010
16-12-2010 17:11
Guerrilla Orchestra - Birmingham musicians & students protest against cuts
16-12-2010 15:55
Day X3 student protests UK: My eyewitness account
16-12-2010 13:19
I've tried to keep to what I saw rather than why it might have happened (except where I can't resist). It's in sections so you can scroll to what you want to know about. You may wish to make a cuppa - I know I did. Comments, clarification and reposting all very welcome. All timings are very approximate (I have no idea where 7pm went, for example) and certain details have been changed to protect the innocent!DPAC disabled peoples protest today - report
15-12-2010 21:22
a group of disabled people and supporters braved the cold drizzle this afternoon to launch the 'disabled people against cuts' (DPAC) movement to raise awareness, and to lobby and protest against the coalition government's attack on disabled people.
with disabled people feeling particularly vulnerable to local council cuts and coalition government slashing of provision, DPAC is hoping to build a network to fight the cuts at every level.
their organisers point out that disabled people are being targetted unfairly and that some may even lose their lives in the onslaught.
currently, nearly a third of all disabled people live below the official poverty line, with a quarter of families with disabled children unable to afford heating. a tenth of all disabled women have incomes under £31pw, and men £51pw under current benefits or earned income.
and yet, the government intends to slash the number of claimants on disability living allowance by 20%, although the fraud rate is estimated to be a mere 0.5%. it also intends to remove the mobility allowance from people in care homes, slashing their income by 66% and further isolating them.
new 'work capability assessments' (criticised widely by groups such as citizens advice bureau, disability charities and other disabled people's organisations) will force many people onto the lower job seekers allowance despite their needs. the private company carrying out these assessments will earn £100 million per year.
as if all this wasn't enough, the new rules for housing benefits will also attack disabled people disproportionately, forcing many into smaller and cheaper accommodation away from friends and family, and indiscriminately reducing housing benefit by 10% after 12 months unemployed for whatever reason!
apart from all these direct attacks, social service departments will of course be under pressure with widespread forecasts of 25% budget cuts. already, in some areas, support for shopping, cooking or cleaning is being withdrawn, and charges of £50 per week being raised for just a few hours home care a week. the 'independent living fund' is also under threat of closure.
finally of course, there are nationwide increases which will hit the disabled and poor hardest, like the linking of benefits to the consumer price index, the VAT increase to 20%, and the deregulation of rail fares with huge price hikes expected.
during the nazi rise in germany, disabled people were targetted, even to the extent of nazi propaganda describing the disabled as 'genetically ill people who cost the community money'. now, that propoganda machine is alive and well in modern britain, and disabled people will also inevitably die here as a result.
the protest was not authorised, and the GLA tried to ban it over concerns of health and safety due to a misunderstanding about a donkey (which turned out to be a papier mache model). police, including plain clothes, community support officers, and "heritage wardens" (boris's private thugs in the square) all hassled the protestors at various times.
DPAC is committed to raising awareness, networking, and fighting back against this government and its cuts.
they are constructing a website but in the meantime have a blog at http://disabledpeopleprotest.wordpress.com/
more information from linda burnip : linda_burnip (At) yahoo DOT co DOT uk
Cut the crap: The cuts as profit opportunities
15-12-2010 20:18
The Con-Dem coalition government has started to roll out its austerity package and introduce cuts worth £83bn over the next four years, which will hit the poorest hardest and open doors for big business to reap the benefits. But people are fighting back. Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed extraordinary and inspiring protests across the UK. Many of these have had an anti-corporate focus, targeting big businesses that are eager to profit from the cuts and have the government’s ear in policy formation. Here is some information on some of them.Palestine Today 12 15 2010
15-12-2010 17:33
Guilty verdict in Ratcliffe trial
14-12-2010 18:24
After a 3 week trial and 3 days of deliberation for the jury, 20 climate activists were found guilty of conspiring to commit aggravated trespass today. The defendants were amongst 114 activists arrested at a Nottingham school in April 2009, on the verge of taking action to shut down the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. Over the course of the trial the jury heard evidence from a raft of experts including James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists. MPs also testified on the inadequacy of conventional political channels to prevent climate change. The 20 are clear that “Taking action on climate change is not an act of moral righteousness, but of self-defence.”
Newswire: Opening 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Prosecution 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Defence 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Conclusion 1 | 2 | Verdict 1 | 2 | 3
Previous features: Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | Ratcliffe Conspiracy Trial Begins | Ratcliffe Trial: Prosecution Opens | Ratcliffe Trial: Week 2
Defendants’ statement
As the UN climate talks finish in Cancun, and fail once again to come up with any legally binding framework to reduce emissions, the British legal system is still upholding business as usual. This can’t continue. Burning coal has no future.
We are twenty of the 114 who were targets of the biggest pre-emptive arrest in UK history, as part of the increasing drive to stifle real action on climate change. We planned not only to stop carbon emissions from Ratcliffe but to be part of a much wider movement for global social justice. Dealing with climate change means looking at its root causes and we need to question why the profits of corporations such as e.on are being prioritised over people on the front line of our changing climate and the protection of our children’s futures.
In the 3 weeks we’ve been on trial over 17,000 people have died from the effects of climate change, species have continued to disappear and a few energy CEOs have continued to line their pockets. It’s the poorest and most vulnerable communities, those least responsible for this crisis, who are being hit the hardest.
Taking action on climate change is not an act of moral righteousness, but of self-defence. History is full of ordinary people who have acted to protect their fundamental rights and we need a strong movement of people doing just that. We want to reiterate our support for everyone fighting for climate justice.
We want to thank everyone for the amazing amount of solidarity we have received during this process from within Nottingham and beyond. It has been absolutly inspiring. We are keen to publich more information, but obviously need to wait until sentencing on Friday to do this.
Our supporters have been doing an amazing job in making a blog about us and you can check out our website.
Palestine Today 12 14 2010
14-12-2010 17:38
Assange out on bail, Anonymous out in support
14-12-2010 17:22
Assange was released on bail earlier today, after appearing at Westminster Magistrated Court. Over 100 people turned out in support and lined the sidewalk opposite the court, many wearing masks. The event was turned into an impromptu speakers corner by several people addressing various issues around the charges, the leaks as well as wider issues of freedom of speech and information and social justice.
The arrest and refusal of bail on charges of sex crimes had sparked another round of cyber war. There are several issues around the charges and conditions of extradition, e.g. Assange has not yet been formally charged in Sweden. Read more on this story...
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Activists found guilty in Ratcliffe coal climate trial
14-12-2010 14:14
Twenty climate activists who planned to shut down one of Britain’s most polluting power stations for a week were found guilty of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass today.Full article | 3 additions | 1 comment
EDO Blockaded Again
14-12-2010 10:14
Early this morning a group of activists locked themselves to the gates of the EDO/ITT weapons factory in Brighton. SmashEDO press spokesperson Andrew Beckett said,'Once again EDO boss Paul Hills has been forced to angle grind his way through his own fence to get his workers back to their murderous production line. Today's action has been taken in protest against EDO/ITT's complicity in civilian deaths in the US' war of aggression in Afghanistan, and to show EDO that wherever in the world they profit from death and misery, we'll be here in Brighton to fight back'.