Restaurant Gordon Ramsay occupied and temporarily closed by Animal Rebellion activists

The three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London’s Chelsea became the target of Animal Rebellion activists on Saturday night (19 November).

At around 6.30pm, 14 activists entered the restaurant and occupied tables, declining to leave and holding mock menus outlining the "environmental and social cost" of the food on the restaurant’s real menu, followed by the group’s demands.

Police attended the scene at 7pm. At 8pm, the restaurant closed and the protestors left.

A spokesperson for Restaurant Gordon Ramsay said: "Everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs. However, to force your way into a restaurant, disturbing hard working staff going about their jobs and ruining the evening of guests who have waited months for their reservations is incredibly inappropriate and deeply disrespectful."

Animal Rebellion is calling for a plant-based food system and mass rewilding programme to tackle the climate and cost-of-living crises.

Lucia Alexander, a 39-year-old auxiliary nurse who took part in the protest, said: “This restaurant is the perfect example of the inequality we face in the UK right now. Whilst Gordon Ramsay serves food costing a minimum of £155 per person, more than two million people are relying on food banks in this cost-of-living crisis.

“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 farmland to grow food, allowing us to feed millions of additional people without the reliance on exploitative and inefficient animal farming industries. This is the answer to the cost-of-living and climate crises.”