Activists in London protested the deportation of undocumented immigrants working as restaurant employees by bombing the restaurant with thousands of locusts, crickets, and cockroaches.
The Byron Proper Hamburgers chain faced backlash after it cooperated with the UK government to create a sting operation to arrest of 35 of its employees, according to The Washington Post.
Employees were notified by email of a health and safety meeting they were required to attend on July 4. But instead, immigration officials showed up, arresting workers who had migrated from Albania, Brazil, Egypt, and Nepal. Twenty-five of them have already been deported or have left voluntarily, while the rest of the cases are pending.
Activists released thousands of bugs in a busy London restaurant this weekend. https://t.co/XuhM5jJP6N#boycottbyronpic.twitter.com/V74dfpjfb2
— HUCK (@HUCKmagazine) August 1, 2016
The chain maintains that it was unaware of the illegal status of its employees, and that “sophisticated counterfeit documentation” was used by the immigrants at the time of gaining employment, as per a statement published on Byron’s website.
Soon after news of the arrests broke, activists began protesting against the restaurant chain. The hashtag #BoycottByron also surfaced, calling out the inhuman treatment meted out to the undocumented workers.
"Home of proper hamburgers & improper treatment of workers" @byronhamburgers, deporting workers not a good look! #boycottbyron#CSRfail
— Eve Geddie (@evegeddie) July 23, 2016
Exploit them then deport them: that's the Byron Burger way #boycottbyronhttps://t.co/SDYDdyU9Zj
— James (@LabourJames) July 27, 2016
'No borders! No nations! Stop deportations!' @londonlatinxs out in force to #boycottbyron! #nononeisillegalpic.twitter.com/LQvRyElHYL
— WretchedOfTheEarth (@wretchedotearth) August 1, 2016
Last week, activists from London Black Revs and the Malcolm X Movement unleashed a swarm of live cockroaches, crickets, and locusts on two of the Byron burger branches in London, forcing them to close.
The activists said that their insect-fuelled attack was in response to the chain’s “despicable actions in the past weeks having entrapped waiters, back of house staff and chefs in collaboration with UK Border Agency”.
They also apologized to customers and staff for the inconvenience caused, but explained that they had to defend the former workers and their families.
Both branches of the chain that were bombarded with insects have been forced to temporarily shut down, facing health and sanitation hazards.
Some scathing signs at tonight's London protest. (pic: @rachel_hump )#boycottbyronpic.twitter.com/xPLR0xynzU
— Skint London (@SkintLondon) August 1, 2016
While the chain faced a lot of backlash, it also received some support from the public for complying with the government. However, protesters are continuing to gather outside Byron burger branches with posters and angry slogans.
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