Google pays just £6m UK tax on profits of £3.95bn. London (Westminster), Sun 18th Mar 2012. Topshop and the solidarity of the ‘ordinary shopper’ | Red Pepper blog. What is most remarkable about UKUncut's protests at tax dodgers like Philip Green and Vodafone is how easy it is to explain them to passers-by - and see them not only agree with you, but join in. In the aftermath of today's successful day of action, right wingers are trying to whip up a predictable panic about lefties standing in the way of shoppers on the last Saturday before Christmas.
"The main victims of this form of protest are the people trying to buy Christmas presents for their loved ones," cries arch school privatiser Toby Young at the Telegraph. And if you'd never been to one of the protests, as I'm sure those retweeting such sentiments haven't, you might think that was the reality. But at the protest in London today, inside the Oxford Street Topshop, what I witnessed was in fact a spontaneous outpouring of solidarity, or at least sympathy, from ordinary 'shoppers' who had known nothing about the cause.
"It's only fair, isn't it," one elderly man said to me. "What are you doing? " Dear Dave and Nick... Bit.ly | Basic | a simple URL shortener. Mayhem as Topshop's flagship London store closes after protests over Sir Philip Green's taxes. By Daily Mail Reporter Updated: 16:06 GMT, 5 December 2010 Activists protesting against tax avoidance by big businesses forced one of Britain's busiest stores to close its doors for around three hours yesterday after demonstrating against Sir Philip Green's tax bills. The UK Uncut group is targeting high street stores - including Sir Philip's Arcadia group outlets such as Topshop and Burton - in 20 towns and cities in protest at the tax strategies used by some of Britain's biggest companies. And, amid claims the Metropolitan police deployed undercover officers among protesters, chaos erupted in the cavernous clothing store, with campaigners and journalists forcibly removed by security guards.
Eviction: Police remove a protestor from Topshop in the Bullring in Birmingham The activists, numbering around 200, said they targeted the shop because it was part of the Arcadia retail group. UK Uncut supporters put up stickers reading 'Special Offer - This item is free. Photo by QOFE. Mayhem as Topshop's flagship London store closes after protests over Sir Philip Green's taxes.