CAMPAIGNERS in Glasgow have handed out stolen food in a bid to force supermarkets to lower their prices.
On Sunday morning 3 members of the This Is Rigged activist group set up a stall on Buchanan Street in Glasgow with a banner which read “WE STOLE THIS FOOD”.
The trio described the event as “redistributive action” as they handed out rolls with vegan sausages, potato scones, and tea and coffee.
This Is Rigged is calling on supermarkets to slash the cost of baby formula to March 2021 prices and wants the Scottish Government to fund the creation of a community food hub per every 500 households in Scotland.
A statement read: “We are asking for the bare minimum: our inalienable human right to baseline food security; but we are also asking for dignity.
READ MORE: Scotland asylum claims by Home Secretary ‘misleading’, minister says
“No longer will we beg for scraps from the tables of greedy CEOs.
“No longer will we be at the mercy of corporations who price us out of eating on a whim, dependent on them to provide us with our foundational needs.
“No longer will we tolerate a criminally incompetent government that refuses to address the crisis of food insecurity in this country.”
Xander Cloudsley, 30, is a community food coordinator who was part of the action in Glasgow. He said it was “unforgivable” that supermarket bosses were enjoying large salaries while some struggled to feed themselves.
"The food we have stolen to feed people today completely pales in comparison to what has been stolen from us by greedy, profiteering corporates like Tesco's Ken Murphy and Sainsbury's Simon Roberts.
“These men and their peers have made the informed, conscious decision to starve people during a cost of living crisis just to add an extra zero to the end of their bank balances.
“This behaviour is unforgivable, pathetic and disgraceful and they will only get away with this cowardly, violent behaviour as long as we let them.
“I'm taking action today because I believe peoples' welfare far supersedes supermarkets' profit margins. I think most people would agree."
Lennox, a student from Paisley, added that other issues impacting people couldn’t be solved until they were properly fed.
“The human right to food is more important than a company’s right to profit,” they said.
“I no longer want to stand by while the country is pushed further into food insecurity so that some CEO can have a ‘good quarter.’ “We are in the midst of multiple intersecting crises, but we can’t even start addressing them until the people are properly fed.”
Tesco and Sainsbury's have been contacted for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel