March 2011 was the month that UK Uncut hit the headlines. Born out of the hashtag #UK Uncut which began circulating after George Osborne’s spending review in October 2010, Uk Uncut describes itself as a grassroots movement taking action to highlight alternatives to the government’s spending cuts.
It was on 26th March – when Uk Uncut occupied the luxury department store Fortnum & Mason’s in response to its parent company’s alleged tax avoidance – that the protest group was transformed into a household name.
The occupation of ’the Queen’s grocers’, which is owned by Whittington Investments, a company UK Uncut believe to have dodged of over £40 million, cost the 300-year-old store £54,581 worth of business and received prominent coverage in mainstream media.
UK Uncut protestors were later found guilty of aggravated trespass when they appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in November. However, in sentencing all involved to conditional discharges, District Judge Michael Snow expressed sympathy with their actions – telling them they were united by a “common sense of decency” and adding, “history often vindicates those involved in such acts”.
UK Uncut’s Facebook page is now liked by 33,936, while the 37,576 people are following its central twitter account. The group’s website also hosts videos of past successes, a map of “tax dodgers and banks near Oxford Street”, and an option to make your own placard, by downloading their logo.
