Reclaim Brixton march: traders slam 'lunatic' protesters who smashed Foxtons shop front

Traders today slammed “lunatic” demonstrators who hijacked a protest against the gentrification of Brixton by storming the town hall and smashing up a branch of Foxtons.

More than 1,000 people took to the streets on Saturday afternoon as part of the largely peaceful “reclaim Brixton” march on Saturday. But some demonstrators had to be removed from Lambeth Town Hall, while police used tear gas after a small group of protesters entered Brixton police station and refused to leave.

A 23-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the glass front of Foxtons in Brixton Road was shattered. No-one was in the estate agents at the time.

The event had been organised by residents and traders who say they are being driven out of the area by soaring rents as well as house prices and regeneration schemes.

Ian Ridley, who has worked at fishmonger LS Mash & Sons for 26 years, was one of the businessmen to join the demonstration. Traders in the railway arches around Brixton station pulled down their shutters and linked arms with loyal customers to form a human chain around the area which faces being redeveloped.

He said: “The atmosphere was great, really terrific, just everyone coming together. The Foxtons thing and the incident at the police station was only one or two idiots and we are not bothered about that, it’s nothing do with us or our protest.

“It only needs one person to start a riot and then others follow, like it did a few years ago. It was a really nice little day it’s just a shame about the idiots who hijacked it.”

Ray Murphy, owner of Budget Carpets in the arches, said: “There were lots of families down and plenty of middle class people, so it was the so-called “yuppies” who formed the central nucleus of the thing.

“There was that lunatic fringe and it’s a shame that you are always going to get that, but there was no out and out looting or anything like that.

“The media coverage is a bit like watching a great game of football and just writing about the streaker on the pitch.”

Jose Cardoso of A & C Continental Delicatessen, who has been in the arches for 25 years, said: “From our perspective the whole thing was a nice family orientated day and a celebration of what you have in Brixton in a safe environment. The whole thing brought me quite close to tears actually.