Fortnum and Mason
Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:39 pm
Aren't our police wonderful, number 138.
Of the 201 people arrested on Saturday, 145 of them were UK Uncut protesters engaged in a peaceful sit-in at Fortnum & Mason. Of the 149 charged, 138 were UK Uncut protesters (for "aggravated trespass"). This means that the police have charged no more than 11 people who were breaking shop windows and 138 people who were sat cross-legged in a shop with a few banners and reading books, together with chatting with the staff and customers. The spiffing plan that the police came up with to clear the shop was to tell the protestors that since they had been peaceful they would be allowed to just leave the shop, "just turn left when you go out". The result was they were kettled, arrested and spent most of the night in the cells. Now although this wheeze worked, it ain't going to work more than once, is it?
For the heinous crime of aggravated trespass, the maximum sentence is 3 months imprisonment.
Why Fortnum and Mason, you may ask. Did they just want a good look at the wondrous hampers they have there?
Fortnum & Mason is owned by Wittington Investments. Wittington Investments has a 54% stake in Associated British Foods (ABF), a multinational food corporation with revenues of some ?10bn/year. Some time between 2005 and 2008, ABF set up a holding company in Luxembourg. It then sent large sums of money - interest free - from ABF PLC and Primark (Ireland), also owned by ABF, into this holding account, from which it was sent straight back, this time with interest charges.
According to tax experts, this has meant ABF's annual tax avoidance amounts to at least ?10m through offsetting interest payments on profits.
Although Wittington is ultimately linked backed to the Weston Family Trust, which has charitable status, ABF is not a charity in any sense. The Weston Family Trust naturally support the pro-corporate, pro-privatisation policies being promoted by the coalition government and are major backers of the Tory Party.
Go carefully now, ya hear.
Cheers
D
Of the 201 people arrested on Saturday, 145 of them were UK Uncut protesters engaged in a peaceful sit-in at Fortnum & Mason. Of the 149 charged, 138 were UK Uncut protesters (for "aggravated trespass"). This means that the police have charged no more than 11 people who were breaking shop windows and 138 people who were sat cross-legged in a shop with a few banners and reading books, together with chatting with the staff and customers. The spiffing plan that the police came up with to clear the shop was to tell the protestors that since they had been peaceful they would be allowed to just leave the shop, "just turn left when you go out". The result was they were kettled, arrested and spent most of the night in the cells. Now although this wheeze worked, it ain't going to work more than once, is it?
For the heinous crime of aggravated trespass, the maximum sentence is 3 months imprisonment.
Why Fortnum and Mason, you may ask. Did they just want a good look at the wondrous hampers they have there?
Fortnum & Mason is owned by Wittington Investments. Wittington Investments has a 54% stake in Associated British Foods (ABF), a multinational food corporation with revenues of some ?10bn/year. Some time between 2005 and 2008, ABF set up a holding company in Luxembourg. It then sent large sums of money - interest free - from ABF PLC and Primark (Ireland), also owned by ABF, into this holding account, from which it was sent straight back, this time with interest charges.
According to tax experts, this has meant ABF's annual tax avoidance amounts to at least ?10m through offsetting interest payments on profits.
Although Wittington is ultimately linked backed to the Weston Family Trust, which has charitable status, ABF is not a charity in any sense. The Weston Family Trust naturally support the pro-corporate, pro-privatisation policies being promoted by the coalition government and are major backers of the Tory Party.
Go carefully now, ya hear.
Cheers
D