SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A protester from UK Uncut raises his arms as he takes part in an occupation of a branch of Barclays bank in central London.
Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images
Barclays Branches Targeted in Protests Against Tax Avoidance
UK Uncut mounts direct action against 50 branches as Barclays admits it paid 1% corporation tax in 2009
Feb 19, 2011
More than 50 branches of Barclays bank across the UK have been targeted by activists protesting against tax avoidance.
The direct action by UK Uncut, taking place in more than 30 towns and cities including London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, came as Barclays was forced to admit it paid just PS113m in UK corporation tax in 2009 - a year when it rang up a record PS11.6bn of profits.
A UK Uncut spokesman said: "We are hoping to very peacefully and legally send a big message to Barclays that paying 1% corporation tax is not really acceptable."
There are around 10 different protests underway in central London with protesters staging a live stand-up comedy show, a breakfast club for children and setting up a library.
Ruth Griffiths, 36, a UK Uncut supporter, said: "Today we are transforming the banks into schools, leisure centers and libraries and forests because it's society that's too big to fail, not a broken banking system."
Earlier this morning protesters gathered outside the entrance of the Barclays branch at Piccadilly Circus, holding banners saying: "People before profits" and chanting "books not bonuses" as they made an impromptu library outside the building.
After 30 minutes of public protest waiting police officers intervened to request activists move on.
Most of the group began walking towards another branch via Soho, while 20 people remained at the bank in Piccadilly Circus.
Supporters of UK Uncut said people were also angry at the refusal of Barclays' chief executive Bob Diamond to apologize for the banks' role in the economic crisis.
Emma Draper, 25, who stayed outside the branch, said: "It was announced yesterday that Barclays paid around 1% corporation tax.
"The government is allowing banks such as Barclays to get away with not paying huge percentages of their taxes while at the same time slashing public services.
"The cuts are not necessary, they are a political choice because the government chooses to continue to prop up banks such as Barclays instead of funding public services."
UK Uncut, a group set up five months ago to oppose government cuts and corporate tax avoidance, has previously targeted companies such as Vodafone, Top Shop and Boots.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
More than 50 branches of Barclays bank across the UK have been targeted by activists protesting against tax avoidance.
The direct action by UK Uncut, taking place in more than 30 towns and cities including London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, came as Barclays was forced to admit it paid just PS113m in UK corporation tax in 2009 - a year when it rang up a record PS11.6bn of profits.
A UK Uncut spokesman said: "We are hoping to very peacefully and legally send a big message to Barclays that paying 1% corporation tax is not really acceptable."
There are around 10 different protests underway in central London with protesters staging a live stand-up comedy show, a breakfast club for children and setting up a library.
Ruth Griffiths, 36, a UK Uncut supporter, said: "Today we are transforming the banks into schools, leisure centers and libraries and forests because it's society that's too big to fail, not a broken banking system."
Earlier this morning protesters gathered outside the entrance of the Barclays branch at Piccadilly Circus, holding banners saying: "People before profits" and chanting "books not bonuses" as they made an impromptu library outside the building.
After 30 minutes of public protest waiting police officers intervened to request activists move on.
Most of the group began walking towards another branch via Soho, while 20 people remained at the bank in Piccadilly Circus.
Supporters of UK Uncut said people were also angry at the refusal of Barclays' chief executive Bob Diamond to apologize for the banks' role in the economic crisis.
Emma Draper, 25, who stayed outside the branch, said: "It was announced yesterday that Barclays paid around 1% corporation tax.
"The government is allowing banks such as Barclays to get away with not paying huge percentages of their taxes while at the same time slashing public services.
"The cuts are not necessary, they are a political choice because the government chooses to continue to prop up banks such as Barclays instead of funding public services."
UK Uncut, a group set up five months ago to oppose government cuts and corporate tax avoidance, has previously targeted companies such as Vodafone, Top Shop and Boots.
More than 50 branches of Barclays bank across the UK have been targeted by activists protesting against tax avoidance.
The direct action by UK Uncut, taking place in more than 30 towns and cities including London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, came as Barclays was forced to admit it paid just PS113m in UK corporation tax in 2009 - a year when it rang up a record PS11.6bn of profits.
A UK Uncut spokesman said: "We are hoping to very peacefully and legally send a big message to Barclays that paying 1% corporation tax is not really acceptable."
There are around 10 different protests underway in central London with protesters staging a live stand-up comedy show, a breakfast club for children and setting up a library.
Ruth Griffiths, 36, a UK Uncut supporter, said: "Today we are transforming the banks into schools, leisure centers and libraries and forests because it's society that's too big to fail, not a broken banking system."
Earlier this morning protesters gathered outside the entrance of the Barclays branch at Piccadilly Circus, holding banners saying: "People before profits" and chanting "books not bonuses" as they made an impromptu library outside the building.
After 30 minutes of public protest waiting police officers intervened to request activists move on.
Most of the group began walking towards another branch via Soho, while 20 people remained at the bank in Piccadilly Circus.
Supporters of UK Uncut said people were also angry at the refusal of Barclays' chief executive Bob Diamond to apologize for the banks' role in the economic crisis.
Emma Draper, 25, who stayed outside the branch, said: "It was announced yesterday that Barclays paid around 1% corporation tax.
"The government is allowing banks such as Barclays to get away with not paying huge percentages of their taxes while at the same time slashing public services.
"The cuts are not necessary, they are a political choice because the government chooses to continue to prop up banks such as Barclays instead of funding public services."
UK Uncut, a group set up five months ago to oppose government cuts and corporate tax avoidance, has previously targeted companies such as Vodafone, Top Shop and Boots.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.