Protesters close Vodafone in Wrexham

Protesters close Vodafone in Wrexham

Protesters close Vodafone in Wrexham   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Saturday 18 December, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, was a national day of action against corporate tax dodgers.

Dylan Roberts

It was aimed at those such as the owner of clothing retailer Arcadia group and government adviser Philip Green, who channels his vast income through his tax exile wife, and Vodafone, which avoided a £6 billion tax bill with the agreement of the UK government.

Whilst working class people are being forced to pay for a crisis not of their making through vicious cuts and job losses, this government – and the previous government – have been happy to allow the rich to swerve their taxes, leading to a tax gap of £120 billion per year, according to prominent tax expert Richard Murphy.

In Wrexham, Wrexham Socialist Party, North Wales Shop Stewards Network and North Wales Against Cuts called a protest against Vodafone under the ‘UK Uncut’ banner.

Heavy snow meant many who planned to attend were unable to make it, but nonetheless a dozen hardy souls arrived at around 11am and assembled outside the Vodafone shop on Regent Street.

The store manager was aware of the protest and had a security guard ready to lock the door – unfortunately leaving at least three customers stuck inside.

We were able to pass letters to the workers inside, to explain that our protest was not against them but against their bosses and the government.

The police attended but, following a good natured discussion, they accepted our right to protest peacefully.

We managed to close the Vodafone shop for several hours, and the thousands of Christmas shoppers on the streets of Wrexham were extremely supportive of the protest.

Wrexham Socialist Party intends to continue to campaign against corporate tax dodgers over the coming months, so if you live locally then please come along and get involved!