Liverpool day of action

Liverpool Solidarity Federation members participate in a UK Uncut (Liverpool) action this afternoon. We managed to directly and in-directly close seven stores.

Submitted by working class … on January 7, 2012

This afternoon, six members of Liverpool Solidarity Federation participated in a UK Uncut (Liverpool) afternoon of action.

A group of between forty and fifty activists got together at 13.00, before heading down to a branch of HSBC. Very quickly, security staff had cleared customers out and closed the bank. This was closely followed by the arrival of several PCSO’s, two police cars, and a mobile CCTV unit.

We stayed outside HSBC for around an hour. Several speakers took the megaphone, and spoke to a fairly large group of passing shoppers. Apart from the odd person, most passers-by were receptive to what was being said, with many clapping and cheering, and some even deciding to stay and participate.

We then moved en-masse to Top Shop, which was packed full of Saturday shoppers. The police followed and assisted security staff in clearing the store, and preventing anyone else from entering. After an hour, protestors left the store to a standing ovation from the large crowd that had gathered.

At this point it was clear that other stores on the mains hopping street had taken steps to avoid a similar situation occurring again. Vodaphone had shut up shop, as had Dorothy Perkins and Burton. Several other shops had several security staff controlling entry to their premises.

We then moved into the Liverpool One shopping centre, and headed towards another Vodaphone store and a branch of Nat-West. As soon as we arrived, both shops were quickly closed by security staff.

All things considered it was a productive afternoon. We managed to directly or in-directly close down, a branch of HSBC, and branch of Nat-West, two Vodaphone stores, a Top Shop store, a Dorothy Perkins, and branch of Burton.

It was also successful in regards to highlighting the issues of tax evasion and engaging with the public, and recruiting several shoppers to participate in the action.

*****new film clip has surfaced re security staff******

[youtube]xEqQUkueg50[/youtube]

Comments

who

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by who on January 7, 2012

What was the point in closing topshop? Is there even any point to any of this action because I don't see one in the post.

Those of the public who begun "participating" probably just thought it was funny to watch and join in with the mob.

Really, I don't know how this can be productive because all you managed to do is damage the economy and piss people off who will now remember "how annoying those bunch of idiots were".

Lastly, I hate banks as much as you, but exactly what would have happened if they hadn't been bailed out? I guess you don't think further than what is put in front of you.

Chilli Sauce

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on January 8, 2012

Jim, I don't think that promoting rioting is the best tact when dealing with someone who thinks that such blockades are simply useless mob rule.

The argument should be that we build our power as a class when we shut down business and bring demands to capital.

Phil

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Phil on January 8, 2012

who

all you managed to do is damage the economy

Well, that's kinda the point. The argument of UK Uncut is that there is an alternative to cuts - i.e. collect the £120bn in uncollected, avoided and evaded tax. As our society isn't a debating chamber and the government acts in the interests of the ruling class, you're not going to have a hope in hell of bringing that about by petitioning. We need to exercise our power as a class, making it less economically viable for them to implement the cuts than to find an alternative, since resistance will wreck the economy. UK Uncut's actions are just one form of this, strikes are another. Either way, we have to tip the balance of class power in our favour.

(Although, obviously, the contradiction in UK Uncut is that their actions are miles ahead of their politics.)

RossPainKemp

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by RossPainKemp on January 8, 2012

Your protest was a disgrace, and this blog is a piece of fiction. You are just as much the delusional liar as the politicians we all hate so much. The action in Topshop was so utterly disgusting that im now contacting UK Uncut to encourage them to sever all ties with you people.

Standing ovation? As opposed to a sitting ovation in the middle of the street? If anyone cheered it was at the sight of the police escorting you out, not in support of your heroism. Are you seriously of the belief that people applauded you after a horrible woman who stank of alcohol hurled abuse down a megaphone at innocent customers and shoppers? She shouted 'fat slag' at a heavily pregnant manager and hurled abuse at a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL saying she would obviously just marry a rich man and not work, despite the fact that she was there, working.

Other highlights include an elderly woman who had to be taken upstairs for a cup of tea after being rammed aside on the escalator; not one of you helped her up. And a young child who hid under a fixture of clothes, terrifying his mother who couldnt find him.

You are all of you utter pondscum, and if you feel you did squat to 'raise awareness' then you require psychoactive medical treatment.

working class …

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by working class … on January 8, 2012

you saw quite a lot of highlights for someone who presumably was not involved!

I cannot comment on those specific points, because I did not hear or see them. This is not a 'cop out', I genuinely did not see them. If however it is true, then it is unacceptable, but the actions of a very small minority should not detract from everything else.

Also Mr Kemp, I would not expect you to have much sympathy with the demonstrators, as you are a regular facebook troll. In fact, you claim that "the rich already pay enough tax" dont you Mr Kemp?

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=238403199561458&id=232998236768621

Phil

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Phil on January 8, 2012

RossPainKemp

The action in Topshop was so utterly disgusting that im now contacting UK Uncut to encourage them to sever all ties with you people.

LOL. Because a group who, from their founding, have shut down shops they targetted for protest after occupying them will want to disassociate from a protest which occupied and shut down a shop.

Jog on, troll.

Chilli Sauce

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on January 8, 2012

I know I shouldn't feed the trolls, but this statement really is telling:

The action in Topshop was so utterly disgusting that im now contacting UK Uncut to encourage them to sever all ties with you people.

(1) UKUnCut was involved, so you'd be asking them to cut ties with themselves.

(2) Who is "you people"? Liverpool SF? Libcom? Liverpool UnCut?

(3) UnCut is a decentralised group and any group can call an action under the auspices of UnCut. The email contact just happens to be one person who will forward inquiries to local groups and handle media inquiries. Now I'm not supporting UnCut's form of organisation (I'm much more in favour of formalised federalism), but you can't "contact UnCut" as if they're one person or group who at the top of the organisation who could make such a decision.

Also, I don't believe all this "Look at the bullying protesters" bollocks that's always thrown around by you right wing trolls. I'm sure some of the Liverpool lots will be on here to set the record straight.

Kemp I'm also impressed you managed to see thing happening inside the shot, on the escalators, and on the street all at the same time...

jonthom

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jonthom on January 8, 2012

RossPainKemp

Standing ovation? As opposed to a sitting ovation in the middle of the street? If anyone cheered it was at the sight of the police escorting you out, not in support of your heroism. Are you seriously of the belief that people applauded you after a horrible woman who stank of alcohol hurled abuse down a megaphone at innocent customers and shoppers? She shouted 'fat slag' at a heavily pregnant manager and hurled abuse at a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL saying she would obviously just marry a rich man and not work, despite the fact that she was there, working.

Other highlights include an elderly woman who had to be taken upstairs for a cup of tea after being rammed aside on the escalator; not one of you helped her up. And a young child who hid under a fixture of clothes, terrifying his mother who couldnt find him.

working class …

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by working class … on January 8, 2012

For the record, I have not deleted any comments that anyone has posted on here. This is my blog, but there are many people who administrate the site.

Yes there are many people critical on that facebook page, all of whom are the 'usual suspects', just like you.

Out of interest, is it the same facebook page on which you made the comment about 'rich people already paying enough tax'??

Also, if you are are complaining that peaceful demonstrators did nothing whilst acts of thuggery were taking place, what exactly did you do about it????

Why did (if you actually did) go to the event?

working class …

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by working class … on January 8, 2012

Also, whenever, anyone does anything around Liverpool, the EDL and their kind bombard social networking sites with fake profiles, and claim to be the moral majority , so I will take them with a pinch of salt.

Chilli Sauce

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on January 8, 2012

GrantTurboMitchell

I have not trolled at all, but only given my honest feedback on unacceptable behavior. Where is the trolling? Is trolling not by definition intending merely to annoy and offend? Am i not posing honest, reasonable questions to you?

1) UK Uncut, as far as i know, is not a hierarchy. People take up in protest under the name UK Uncut because they agree with its grievances. I agree with its grievances, and have talked with its members before. The founders of UK Uncut however, based in London, who do most of the organizing and grassroots protest planning espouse policies of decency, respect and *fighting for the rights* of workers and customers, not hurling abuse at them. If they knew the behavior that was going on in their name, they would want nothing to do with it and i'm hopeful that they would deny any involvement and withdraw any endorsement of the people protesting yesterday had they seen what was going on.

2) "You people" refers to those individuals yesterday behaving like utter thugs, intimidating people, hurling abuse at people indiscriminately without thought or reason, and all of those who - despite protesting peacefully and NOT engaging in such acts of ignorance - chose to do nothing to stop them.

3) Your decision to label me a 'right wing troll' is exactly the sort of reactionary ignorance that continues to divide this country.

At no point did i claim to see everything all at the same time; these incidents occurred over a period between one and two hours in length.

I'm not sure why you're using different name, however if you're earlier comments were more in the vain of the above and not:

Your protest was a disgrace, and this blog is a piece of fiction.

You might have had a better reception and folks would have said, yeah, if those things happened, that's fucked. In fact, as anarchists, one our main criticisms (I guess I'm speaking in personal capacity here) is that liberalism often doesn't differentiate between companies and the people who work for them and often condemns the employees right alongside their employers.

I am still curious how you purport to know how the author of this blog (who is one person who wasn't there, not "you people") was one these "thugs" and who you planned on "reporting"?

working class …

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by working class … on January 8, 2012

Just because you keep repeating statements about thuggery, threats, and people stinking of alcohol, does not make them true.

You believe they happened. I was there throughout the day, as was many others, I dod not see what you refer to, and neither did anyone else. You can keep making allegations all you want, using the remarks of other facebook trolls to back you up. It does not make you views of the day any more valid

We have reached an impasse, and I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree

Chilli Sauce

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on January 8, 2012

I'm not really concerned with presenting the moral high ground, I'm concerned with building class power (which, of course, does not included bullying workers--well scabs maybe, but the workers inside the Liverpool Top Shop were obviously not scabs). In fact, SolFed, mentioned in the blog, wrote a well-received open letter to UKUnCut, has good relations with them, and has specifically encouraged them to link up with the workers in the shops whom they target.

Your attitude here, coming in here guns blazing shouting about "you people" is of course going to get you labelled a troll. You've condemned a blogger and the entire milieu who posts on this site. As I told you, had you come in here saying "Actually I saw some really fucked up stuff at this action. I think you should know about and condemn it", you would have had a much better response. But that's not what you did.

The behavior in Topshop WAS a disgrace, and the way it is composed in this piece IS outright fiction.

This assumes that (1) the author was involved and (2) that they saw what you saw and (3) if they legitimately didn't see it, but it did happen, they wouldn't condemn it.

That said, I still think there's a good possibility you are an elaborate troll and nothing inappropriate happened at this action. You have no one but yourself to thank for that perception.

Chilli Sauce

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on January 8, 2012

your organisation

What organisation is that then? The "You People" organisation?

libcom

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by libcom on January 8, 2012

This site has posting guidelines, and registering to make unsubstantiated smears against others falls outside them. Posts have been unpublished (not permanently deleted) in line with the no trolling policy, since these posts are making unsubstantiated allegations and derailing discussion.

plasmatelly

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by plasmatelly on January 8, 2012

Arbeiten

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Arbeiten on January 8, 2012

Yes it is YooKay Uncut that has divided the country. Not the class system :roll: .

Chilli Sauce

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on January 8, 2012

Ye mighty of libcom tremble, Kemp is...writing to his local newspaper :roll:

working class …

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by working class … on January 8, 2012

The video shows nothing, and substantiates nothing. The comments prove nothing, other than you are clearly not a very pleasant person yourself, referring to people as 'inbred'

you really need to get your head round what 'substantiate' actually means

BobGeldoff

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by BobGeldoff on January 8, 2012

You are now literally deleting comments to distort the truth; you claiming i have said hateful things which i DID NOT SAY is left up here for all to read. My pointing out how that was not me, gets deleted.

How is that fair?

To repeat, @RossPainKemp is a comment AIMED AT ME, not one that i made. If you read the page you will see that i replied back saying i do not agree with violence of any kind.

You are wrong and should apologize. I would defend myself against these comments but mine are repeatedly deleted and blocked, yet yours remain unaltered.

working class …

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by working class … on January 8, 2012

you clearly have a very different view of the days events than I do. I never once called you a liar, despite you posting all over liverpool uncut facebook pages that I and others on here did. All I said was, that I did not hear or see what you referred to, neither did the people I went with. I also said that if what you said was true, then it was not acceptable.

You constantly make reference to taking screenshots and reporting them to the media, fine, do what you want. you have plastered all over ukuncut pages that I have called you a liar. which I have not, you also claim that all of your posts have been deleted. Get your eyes tested, as it would appear that is also untrue. So in actual fact, yes, you are a liar.

We disagree, we are unlikely to come to an agreement. so what is it you want??? why do you keep posting, I dont mind debate, but its going nowehere.

who

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by who on January 8, 2012

So damaging the economy will somehow save the economy? Backwards thinking for backwards people.

Arbeiten

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Arbeiten on January 8, 2012

this a communist website, we are not interested in saving the economy silly billy

wojtek

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by wojtek on January 8, 2012

who wrote:
Backwards thinking for backwards people

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYHbzMiDHEA

racist

Harrison

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Harrison on January 8, 2012

Arbeiten

this a communist website, we are not interested in saving the economy silly billy

like

working class …

12 years 2 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by working class … on January 10, 2012

[youtube]xEqQUkueg50[/youtube]