Members of Animal Rebellion entered the Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Hospital Road, Chelsea at around 6pm on Saturday. Dressed in smart casual clothes, they sat at tables reserved for diners at the high-end restaurant. They held virtual menus that described the environmental cost of items served on the restaurant’s menu, including steak and beef. Image: Gordon Ramsay. Photo: AP/Invision In a statement, the group said it is campaigning for a plant-based food system and the creation of a mass reset program. Lucia Alexander, a 39-year-old nurse’s assistant from the east of England, said the restaurant was a “perfect example” of inequality in the UK. “While Gordon Ramsay is serving food costing at least £155 per person, more than two million people are relying on food banks in this cost-of-living crisis,” he said in a statement issued 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 agricultural land to grow food, allowing us to feed millions more people without relying on exploitative and inefficient livestock industries. “This is the answer to the cost of living and climate crises.” “Inappropriate and disrespectful” A spokesperson for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay said: “Everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs. “However, to force your way into a restaurant, disrupt hard working staff doing their jobs and ruin the evening of guests who have waited months for their reservations is incredibly inappropriate and deeply disrespectful.” A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said no arrests had been made. They said officers were called to reports of a group of protesters who were “refusing to leave the premises”. “Officers attended. The restaurant was closed and the protesters left. No arrests were made.” It comes after two activists were arrested by the group on Friday after they allegedly approached Sir David Attenborough at a Michelin-starred restaurant on the south coast. Image: Sir David Attenborough Dorset Police said Emma Smart, 45, was arrested on Thursday night after she allegedly caused a disturbance and refused 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 eating in an attempt to hand him a letter and shared images of her being dragged away by police at 8.45pm. Smart, an environmentalist from Weymouth, said she wanted a five-minute chat with Sir David about the need to tackle climate change. According to Animal Rebellion, Smart targeted his visit to the Catch restaurant because of its expensive seafood menu.
