In a pungent and provocative act of protest, the lavish Christmas display at London's iconic Ritz Hotel was targeted by wealth-tax activists on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025.
A Festive Display Disrupted
Three supporters of the group Take Back Power entered the luxury hotel's lobby carrying plastic bags filled with manure. In a deliberate symbolic act, they poured the contents onto the floor beneath the hotel's grand, sparkling Christmas tree. The protestors were swiftly apprehended by security and removed from the lobby area.
Outside the world-famous Piccadilly entrance, the activists held up signs with stark messages reading 'INEQUALITY IS S*#T' and 'TAX THE RICH.' The group describes itself as a new nonviolent civil-resistance movement.
The Demands Behind the Disruption
Take Back Power's core demand is for the UK government to establish a permanent, legally-binding citizen's assembly, which they term a 'House of the People.' This assembly would have the power to decide on taxing extreme wealth.
Ellen Redwood-Brown, 23, an NHS worker involved in the action, stated: 'The billionaires, corporations, and corrupt politicians running Britain don't care about us.' She highlighted the crisis in the health service, citing people dying while waiting for appointments and doctors working 15-hour shifts.
'The UK has 156 billionaires,' Redwood-Brown added. 'We could take away 75% of that wealth to fix Britain, and we'd still have 156 billionaires. We must let ordinary people decide how to tax the rich.'
Calls for a Radical Democratic Shift
Tom Barber, 65, a former doctor and journalist from Nottingham, also participated. He argued that power is concentrated in the hands of 'a small group of obscenely wealthy and ruthless individuals' who are widening the gap between the rich and poor.
'Every day, people must Take Back Power, compelling our government to create a permanent citizens’ assembly,' Barber said. 'Only then can we start making decisions for everyone’s benefit- taxing the rich, creating a fairer society and restoring our faith in our democracy.'
A spokesperson for Take Back Power provided a stark statistic to underline their cause: 'The super-rich have more than doubled their wealth since the pandemic, while this Christmas, a third of UK children suffer and grow up in poverty.'
The Metropolitan Police were approached for comment regarding the incident. The Ritz Hotel declined to comment on the protest that briefly transformed its festive lobby.
