Animal activists take over Gordon Ramsay’s Chelsea restaurant calling for meat to be removed from menus

19 November 2022, 21:40

Climate change activists have occupied Gordon Ramsay's three-star Michelin restaurant in Chelsea, blocking tables as they demanded meat is removed from menus.

Members of Animal Rebellion entered Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Hospital Road, Chelsea at around 6pm on Saturday.

Wearing smart casual clothing they sat at tables reserved for guests and held mock menus outlining the environmental costs of items served on the restaurant's menu, including steak and veal.

In a statement, the group said that they are campaigning for a plant-based food system and the creation of a mass-rewilding programme.

Responding to a Gordon Ramsay social media clip of sauce being poured over a cote de boeuf, the group wrote: "That's dinner sorted for a dead planet. Feeding the ultra-rich while millions go hungry in a cost of living crisis.

"A fair transition to a plant-based food system is the only way we can sort dinner for everybody: people, planet and the animals."

Lucia Alexander, a 39-year-old auxiliary nurse from the east of England, said that the restaurant was a "perfect example" of inequality in the UK.

"This restaurant is the perfect example of the inequality we face in the UK right now. Whilst Gordon Ramsay serves food costing a minimum of £155 per person, more than two million people are relying on food banks in this cost-of-living crisis," she said in a statement provided by the group.

"Instead of restaurants making colossal profits at the expense of animals, workers, and our climate, we need to feed everyone by supporting farmers and fishing communities in a transition to a plant-based food system.

"A plant-based food system requires 75% less farmland to grow food, allowing us to feed millions of additional people without the reliance on exploitative and inefficient animal farming industries. This is the answer to the cost-of-living and climate crises."

Police were called to the scene and the protesters said they only left once the restaurant was closed for the night.

The Metropolitan Police and Gordon Ramsay have been contacted for comment.

It comes after two activists from the group were arrested on Friday after reportedly approaching Sir David Attenborough at a Michelin-starred restaurant on the south coast.

Dorset Police said Emma Smart, 45, was arrested on Thursday evening after allegedly causing a disturbance and refusing to comply with officers after they asked her to leave Catch At The Old Fish Market in Weymouth.

Animal Rebellion said she approached the table where Sir David was dining in an attempt to deliver a letter to him, and shared images of her being dragged away by police at 8.45pm.

Smart, an ecologist from Weymouth, said she wanted a five-minute conversation with Sir David about the need to address climate change.

According to Animal Rebellion Smart targeted his visit to the Catch restaurant because of its expensive seafood menu.