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| Shoreditch Cereal Killer Cafe targeted by anti-gentrification protesters | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The owner of an east London “cereal cafe” has described his terror at being targeted by a group of anti-gentrification protesters who daubed the word “scum” on the cafe’s window. | The owner of an east London “cereal cafe” has described his terror at being targeted by a group of anti-gentrification protesters who daubed the word “scum” on the cafe’s window. |
| Alan Keery, who with his brother Gary owns Cereal Killer Cafe in Shoreditch – which has been seen by some as a symbol of inequality in east London – described an “angry mob with torches and pigs’ heads” that gathered outside the building on Saturday evening. | |
| Tonight we were attacked with paint and fire by an angry mob of 200. Riot police are on the scene. pic.twitter.com/GPXLmyMmuN | Tonight we were attacked with paint and fire by an angry mob of 200. Riot police are on the scene. pic.twitter.com/GPXLmyMmuN |
| Police said one officer had suffered a minor facial injury as a result of a flying bottle and that one person had been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage during the protests, which took place over a large area of the E2 postcode. | |
| Speaking to the London Evening Standard, Keery said: “There were children there – they were terrified. The staff were absolutely terrified. It was an angry mob throwing paint at the windows. They had torches and pigs’ heads. | Speaking to the London Evening Standard, Keery said: “There were children there – they were terrified. The staff were absolutely terrified. It was an angry mob throwing paint at the windows. They had torches and pigs’ heads. |
| “There were people shouting about gentrification and taking back east London. They’d brought cereal and they were throwing it at the shop.” | “There were people shouting about gentrification and taking back east London. They’d brought cereal and they were throwing it at the shop.” |
| Related: Can the Cereal Killer cafe, which sells only cereal, really make a killing? | Related: Can the Cereal Killer cafe, which sells only cereal, really make a killing? |
| The cereal café has sparked controversy since its opening in December last year. The brothers were forced to defend their prices after a Channel 4 interviewer asked whether local people could afford £3.20 for a bowl of cereal. | |
| But Keery said he thought the attacks were “an absolute joke”. He added: “We’re a small business. There’s other big chain places around Shoreditch – me and my brother started a business out of absolutely nothing and we’re trying to grow it. | But Keery said he thought the attacks were “an absolute joke”. He added: “We’re a small business. There’s other big chain places around Shoreditch – me and my brother started a business out of absolutely nothing and we’re trying to grow it. |
| Whatever happened in Shoreditch tonight is making my life exceedingly difficult pic.twitter.com/g2jXaEVpJu | |
| “We’re being targeted as the poster boys of gentrification and that’s not our fault. I can’t agree with what they’re doing, the way they are dealing with gentrification. It feels like it’s been taken back to the dark ages – an angry mob with fire – it’s a bit of a witch-hunt. There’s paint thrown at the front and they tried to break the windows. | “We’re being targeted as the poster boys of gentrification and that’s not our fault. I can’t agree with what they’re doing, the way they are dealing with gentrification. It feels like it’s been taken back to the dark ages – an angry mob with fire – it’s a bit of a witch-hunt. There’s paint thrown at the front and they tried to break the windows. |
| “They were trying to bash the door down – the customers had to barricade the door.” | “They were trying to bash the door down – the customers had to barricade the door.” |
| The protest was advertised on Facebook as the third “Fuck Parade”, and was apparently organised by the anarchist group Class War. The event page stated: “Our communities are being ripped apart – by Russian oligarchs, Saudi Sheiks, Israeli scumbag property developers, Texan oil-money twats and our own home-grown Eton toffs. Local authorities are coining it in, in a short sighted race for cash by ‘regenerating’ social housing. | |
| Anti-gentrification tonight in Shoreditch #FuckParade #classwar pic.twitter.com/qK9IWnh5kp | Anti-gentrification tonight in Shoreditch #FuckParade #classwar pic.twitter.com/qK9IWnh5kp |
| “We don’t want luxury flats that no one can afford, we want genuinely affordable housing. We don’t want pop-up gin bars or brioche buns - we want community.” | “We don’t want luxury flats that no one can afford, we want genuinely affordable housing. We don’t want pop-up gin bars or brioche buns - we want community.” |
| A Twitter account that appeared to be live-tweeting the protest shared a picture of the café with the words: “Cereal cafe. £5 for cereal when people are starving. Fuck gentrification. Fuck cutesy boutiques and coffee shops. Homes for everyone.” | A Twitter account that appeared to be live-tweeting the protest shared a picture of the café with the words: “Cereal cafe. £5 for cereal when people are starving. Fuck gentrification. Fuck cutesy boutiques and coffee shops. Homes for everyone.” |
| The Met Police said it had arrested one person in relation to the incident. In a statement, the force said: “On Saturday, 26 September, police officers dealt with disorder arising from a pre-planned even in the Shoreditch area. | |
| Due to an impromptu demo, Old Street Roundabout is currently blocked. Expect delays on all approaches. pic.twitter.com/qyRszSWJ68 | Due to an impromptu demo, Old Street Roundabout is currently blocked. Expect delays on all approaches. pic.twitter.com/qyRszSWJ68 |
| “From around 8pm, a criminal element within a group of several hundred people threw missiles and caused criminal damage to shops and other businesses in and around Brick Lane, E2. The group continued to move around the Shoreditch and Brick Lane area until around 12.30am on Sunday 27 September.“One officer suffered a minor injury to his face as a result of a bottle thrown. One person has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.” | |
| On its website, the cafe is described as the UK’s first speciality cereal cafe. “We are obsessed with everything cereal. We sell over 120 different types of cereal from around the world, if we can source it, we will sell it. To create the perfect bowl of cereal you can choose from 30 different varieties of milk and 20 different toppings.” |