Ali Miraj 12pm - 3pm
Animal rights activists hauled out after 'occupying' top Mayfair restaurant and interrupting Pierce Brosnan's dinner
17 March 2023, 21:24 | Updated: 17 March 2023, 21:26
Animal rights activists have been carted out of a top London seafood restaurant after "occupying" it to protest animal farming and fishing.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Fifteen protesters from Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of activist group Extinction Rebellion, entered Scott's seafood restaurant in Mayfair on Friday evening to call for an end to animal farming and fishing.
They sat down at tables reserved for diners at just before 7pm with self-made menus explaining the benefits of a plant-based diet.
They said they also spoke to former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who they said was "sympathetic" to their cause.
Police officers were present as protesters were seen being carried out of the restaurant.
Louisa Hillwood, 28, a primary school teacher among those taking action, said: "We're peacefully occupying tables in Scott's to make a definitive statement that no seafood is sustainable.
Read more: Morrisons fined £3.5 million after worker died on the job by falling down the stairs
"Restaurants like this are symbols of horrific inequality, whether it's the cost-of-living crisis, the climate emergency and the animal emergency.
"We know that transitioning to a plant-based food system would support fishing communities into sustainable jobs whilst providing abundant affordable and nutritious food, not to mention the benefits of marine rewilding."
The Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called at 19:09hrs after a group of protesters entered a restaurant in Mount Street W1K.
"They were later removed by security."