Described as “a proper east-end knees up”, locals gathered outside the new Starbucks store for a tea party, “in defence of our area, and to show off the lovely culture we have”.
The group said that the area has a vibrant community of local cafés and small coffee shops and are “worried about an oncoming blanding of local culture, as other multinational chains follow Starbucks into the area and attempt to gentrify it with their bland corporate décor, homogenous facades and tasteless products.”
From about 1pm till 4pm they set up a stall and gave out free fair trade teas and home made cakes in an attempt to show what the area will be missing if Starbucks and their ilk are allowed to settle in. They gave out maps of the area on which were marked alternative local places to buy coffee and keep money within the local community.
The London Food Not Bombs group, who have been giving away free hot meals every saturday in the park opposite, join the tea party with a sound system and steaming pots of food which soon attracted a queue.
Police eventually stepped in and threatened to arrest those gathering around the stall for obstruction of the highway. The Food Not Bombs groups moved across the road to their normal spot in the park. Everyone else shuffled a few feet back behind the building line but packed up shortly after anyway as all the tea and biscuits had run out.