Angry protesters descended on private members club Shoreditch House and let off smoke bombs in protest at the closure of the Jungle migrant camp.
Masked demonstrators descended on the popular celebrity hang-out in east London, where the French ambassador was due to speak.
Daniel Giacopelli wrote on Twitter: "Got smoke bombed out of Shoreditch House as balaclava'd protesters tried to get in. French ambassador was due to speak."
A video posted on his account shows protesters behind a banner which read "borders are weapons of fear & division. Tear down their fences live fighting live free" as one man shouts his opposition to "social barbarity".
Edith Hancock wrote on Twitter: "Was blocked for 45 mins from attending event with French ambassador to UK Shoreditch House due to protesters supporting Calais migrants."
A leaflet handed out at the demonstration and posted on Twitter warned that the destruction of the Jungle camp in Calais would tear down the shops, churches and community the migrants had set up.
It said: "Across Europe the walls are going up again.
"Some of the technologies of control and surveillance are new, developed by the high-tech 'creative industries' the French government is celebrating at tonight's event."
It added: "Borders are weapons of fear and division, used by the elites to carve up the world's wealth and turn us against each other.
"Against their vicious borders let's create networks of solidarity and cultures of openness and cut down their fences everywhere."
Earlier the French embassy had tweeted about being at Shoreditch House for the launch of the Creative France event.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were called to Ebor Street, E1, to reports of a protest taking place at approximately 6.50pm.
"Officers are currently on scene. An appropriate policing plan is in place."
The French embassy in a statement said: "Everyone agrees that life conditions in the 'jungle' are not ideal. The French authorities are deploying huge efforts to cater for the migrants.
"Our objective is that everyone should be housed in humane conditions."
No comments:
Post a Comment