Anti-cuts activists plan 'carnival of civil disobedience'

London: Anti-cuts campaigners are planning a wave of sit-ins, occupations and "people's assemblies" to coincide with this month's Trades Union Congress (TUC) demonstration, in a "carnival of civil disobedience" designed to highlight opposition to the government's programme of cuts.

Student activists, tax avoidance campaigners and anti-capitalist groups said they plan to occupy some of the capital's "great buildings", close down scores of high street stores and stage a 24-hour occupation of Hyde Park.

"This is going to be a really important day," said Anna Walker, 32, from the campaign group UK Uncut.

"We had the student protests and we have seen the growth of UK Uncut, but this is the first time we are going to have people from all over the United Kingdom together whose lives are being turned upside down by these cuts. It is going to be the start of something powerful." The direct action is planned to coincide with the TUC's anti-cuts demonstration on March 26, when more than 100,000 people including public sector workers, families and first-time protesters are expected to take to the streets of London.

UK Uncut, a peaceful direct action group set up five months ago to oppose government cuts and corporate tax avoidance, is calling on its supporters to occupy and close down scores of shops on Oxford Street.

"There will be a call-out for all of our local groups who have been taking action in their home towns to come to London, go on the march, but also to pick a target, like Vodafone, Barclays or Topshop on Oxford Street and close it down," said Walker.

"We hope that we will see scores of stores closed down at the same time."

Since it was formed, UK Uncut has closed down more than a hundred high street stores which they accuse of having avoided billions of pounds in tax — a claim disputed by the companies.

Walker, a charity worker, said that after the simultaneous occupations on Oxford Street, UK Uncut supporters would move on to a new, as yet unnamed, target.