A new civil resistance group in the UK, Take Back Power, has sparked controversy with its call for 'mass shoplifting' to highlight inequality. Recent actions have led to multiple arrests as police nationwide crack down on the movement.
Picnic Interrupted by Police
Eve Middleton was sitting on a picnic blanket in a park, sharing vegan biscuits with six fellow activists, when a squad of about 30 police officers surrounded them. One officer warned, 'Don't run or you'll be cuffed,' while another focused on gathering evidence, asking, 'Whose Oreos are these?' as they seized the biscuits.
'It was pretty farcical, but it's still frightening when you see that amount of officers running towards you,' said student Bridie Leggatt, another of the seven activists who had gathered for a 'nonviolence training event' in the sunny park.
Arrests and Crackdown
Leggatt, 22, and Middleton, 25, were among 13 people arrested last weekend in Salford and London as part of a national police operation against Take Back Power. A further 15 arrests had been made in March when police raided a similar training event at the Grade II-listed Quaker House in Westminster. All were held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft, linked to the group's campaign of 'mass shoplifting' in supermarkets across Britain to protest inequality.
Social Media Campaign
On TikTok, Take Back Power videos show activists of all ages 'liberating' rice, pasta, beans, nappies, stock cubes, and tinned fruit from supermarkets in Cornwall, London, and Manchester. The goods are piled into cardboard boxes branded with the message: 'These things are going to those who need them,' and then distributed at local food banks, if they evade security. Even by today's standards of record-high supermarket thefts, the mass looting is notably brazen.
Steph Parker, an assistant chief constable at Greater Manchester police, stated that forces would take 'robust action to disrupt this type of organised criminality and it will not be tolerated.'
Seasoned Activists
Many of those involved are seasoned activists in their early 20s, having participated in actions with Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, Animal Rising, and other groups. Neither Middleton nor Leggatt wished to disclose how many times they had been arrested, fearing a telling off from their parents. Take Back Power announced itself in December when activists threw custard and apple crumble at a case containing the crown jewels at the Tower of London. Eight people were charged with criminal damage, with four due in court. The group reports 50 arrests since December, mostly during 'nonviolence training' events.
Future Plans
A spokesperson for Take Back Power, who gave only his name as James due to risk of arrest, said the group plans further headline-grabbing stunts this year to focus attention on Britain's deepening inequality. The organisation, which seeks higher taxes on the rich and a legally binding citizens' assembly, has no leader 'as such' and has raised over £65,000 in donations in the past four months.
Another arrested activist, who gave only his name as Mark, argued that mass shoplifting would have 'no real effect' on supermarkets making billions in profit. Middleton pointed out that Tesco's chief executive, Ken Murphy, was paid £9.2m last year, about 400 times the typical shop worker's salary. When asked about the impact on low-paid staff, Mark, 44, who works in education, said, 'It shouldn't be staff that get cut. What should get cut are the obscene profits and salaries of the chief executives.'
Police Tactics Questioned
The vegan picnic raided in Salford's Peel Park, named after Sir Robert Peel, founder of modern law enforcement and 'policing by consent,' raised concerns about police tactics. Middleton noted that arresting activists at a training event, rather than for a specific act, appears to run counter to that principle. Parliament's joint committee on human rights has condemned legislative changes that have had 'a chilling effect' on the right to protest in England and Wales.
Middleton said the arrests on suspicion of conspiracy were part of a wider 'repression' of civil resistance. 'Other groups were able to take part in training without everyone getting arrested. For doing not as much, the risk of prison is a lot higher.'
Looking Ahead
James, the Take Back Power spokesperson, said the group aims to build up action to push inequality to the top of the agenda by the next general election, due by August 2029. Middleton believes the police crackdown signals that authorities are scared. 'They can see that Take Back Power does speak to a lot of this country's people fed up with inequality. They are scared of what it could become.'
