

The Malcolm X Movement, which calls itself a Black & Asian led anti-imperialist decolonial organization on its Facebook page, has published a manifesto explaining why it decided to take affirmative action.



In their post, they say that the chain has to pay for their exploitative misdeeds, saying they will ensure it is shut downuntil it goes bankrupt or compensates the deported staff and apologizes to them. They also declared that this is a warning to other businesses, which will also be targeted.



Weve got a feeling Byrons [sic] will be closed for a few days on account of fumigation... This is just the beginning. Strike them were it hurts, wrote the London Black Revolutionaries on their Facebook page, addressing their 11,000 followers.



The Malcolm X Movement said that the stunt had wider significance in the context of growing racist and even fascist oriented policies encouraging and fostering mass resentiment, [sic] racism and xenophobia towards ethnic and migrant communities.

Exploitative bosses, populist politicians to blame for rise in immigration raids - rights group



In an operation that took place on July 4, but was not made public until this week, about 35 employees were called into a meeting, ostensibly to teach them a new method for cooking beef patties, according to eyewitness testimonies in the UK media. However, when staff arrived, the kitchen and floor workers, who were from Albania, Brazil, Nepal, and other non-EU states, were rounded up. Some of them have since been deported. Unconfirmed media reports claim that as many as 150 other employees went into hiding following the sting.



UK authorities said the chain, which would have faced fines of up to £20,000 per employee for knowingly employing migrants without a legal permit, had been shown counterfeit documents when hiring them. Byron said it co-operated fully and acted upon the Home Offices requests throughout the course of the investigations leading to this action.



Despite being in compliance with existing UK immigration laws, the operation drew fury from a segment of social media and, by Friday, several of Byrons London and Bristol outlets were being picketed by small groups of activists before the insect-releasing stunt was launched.

© Richard Sudan

