This is the moment anti-greyhound racing protesters stormed the Hard Rock Café in London with placards and megaphones as confused diners watched on.
Activists charged into the restaurant in Westminster on June 14 as surprised customers looked on awkwardly and staff attempted to handle the disruption.
The protesters, from Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, were opposed to the brand’s alleged partnership with SIS, a sports broadcaster that shows greyhound racing, horse racing and virtual sports.
Footage of the demonstration showed the group of tattooed protesters wearing black clothes bursting into the restaurant armed with loudspeakers and placards that read: ‘greyhound racing kills’ and ‘you bet they die’.
A man wearing a black baseball cap stood further inside the restaurant with a staff member holding on to his red and white megaphone sighing in frustration.
The other protesters stood in the restaurant’s door shouting ‘you bet they die’ as megaphone sirens wailed and staff members tried to usher the group out.
One staff member eager to remove a protester wrapped his arms around her and wrestled her out as she shouted: ‘get your hands off me.’
As the bulk of the protesters were being removed, one blue-haired woman with a megaphone around her waist calmly videoed the ridiculous scene.
A group of anti-greyhound racing protesters descended on the Hard Rock Café in Westminster on June 14
The protesters stormed into the restaurant with loudspeakers and placards that read: ‘greyhound racing kills’ and ‘you bet they die’
One staff member sighs in frustration while holding on to a protester’s red and white megaphone inside the restaurant
Meanwhile diners sat unimpressed at their tables as their meals were interrupted by the group.
The camera then panned back to the protester who ignored a staff member ordering him out of the restaurant with a firm arm wave.
Rather than leave, he decided to march up and down past diners shouting: ‘we want Hard Rock to cut their ties with SIS and the greyhound racing industry. Eating at Hard Rock means you are helping kill.’
Video footage of the protest garnered a widespread response on social media.
One user on X said: ‘summer is back, the protest[s] begin again until it gets too cold.’
While another person added: ‘If I were in that restaurant, I would have got everybody up from their seats to eject them from the building.’
Hours earlier, the same group took part in a demonstration outside the Fendi store on Bond Street which saw a smartly-dressed security guard tackle the protesters.
The campaigners tried to descend on the store but the hard-working security guard and a colleague tussled with protesters who attempted to force their way inside.
Hours earlier, the protesters charged into the Fendi store on Bond Street but a smartly-dressed security guard tackled the demonstrators
One blue haired protester shouts into a megaphone alongside a barefooted member of the group
A viral video of the chaos shared on social media shows blue-and-green-haired protesters chanting ‘blood, blood, blood on your hands’ through megaphones as the security guard kept the protesters away.
One member of the group was barefoot as she shouted through a megaphone speaker outside the luxury designer store.
When the Daily Mail visited the store on June 16, the security guard who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘I was just doing my job, those people were crazy and I kicked them out.’
Commenters on social media rallied behind the suited security guard even calling for him to get a pay-rise.
One wrote: ‘Get a load of Man on Fire uncle was WORKING’.
Another added: ‘It’s nice to see a security guard actually securing’.
A third commented: ‘This poor man is probably on minimum wage and a zero-hour contract and you’re all rinsing him.’
Hard Rock Café have been approached for comment.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘Police were called to Old Park Lane, W1 at 15:18hrs on Sunday, 14 June following reports of protest activity.
‘Officers monitored on CCTV cameras and observed no breach of the peace.
‘The group dispersed from the area by 16:14hrs.’
