A group of animal rights activists stormed a luxury serviced apartment building in Mayfair on Sunday evening, leading to a chaotic confrontation with security guards.
The International Council for Animal Welfare posted a three-minute video of the incident on Monday, showing activists running up the stairs of the 47 Park Street luxury apartments, which are operated by Marriott, while shouting slogans through a megaphone and filming on their phones. A loud alarm can be heard blaring in the background.
Security response
In the video, a security guard in a suit is shown hitting phones out of the activists' hands and pushing them out the building's front door. One protester called him a 'piece of s**t', a 'thug' and a 'violent scumbag'.
A man who appears to be a resident is shown shouting angrily at a demonstrator for waking his son. Later, the same man stands in silence while a different activist shouts in his ear.
Protest demands
In the caption of their social media post, Jes Doing Activism said the serviced apartments were stormed as part of a campaign to get Marriott to 'go cage free'. They wrote: 'The protests will stop when you make good on your cage free pledges.'
A Marriott spokesperson said: 'At 9.38pm, a group of animal rights protesters stormed into the 47 Park Street residences, using loudspeakers, blaring sirens, and causing major disruptions to members, guests, and associates at the property. Contracted security personnel responded immediately and removed all protesters from the building by 9.50pm.'
Apartments at the complex, a short walk from Oxford Street and the eastern end of Hyde Park, can cost as much as £1,450 a night.
