Bristol independents dump kilos of surplus ice in protest against government curfew
Posted on: 13 Oct 2020The protest was the latest of several demonstrations as part of the nationwide #CancelTheCurfew campaign.
Independent business owners from across Bristol took to College Green yesterday (Monday 12 October) to dump kilos of surplus ice in protest against the government's 22:00 curfew for the hospitality sector.
With momentum growing for the #CancelTheCurfew campaign - calling on the government to scrap the curfew citing its huge strain on hospitality businesses - the protest outlined the huge losses being suffered by independents across Bristol and beyond.
Many are predicting the curfew to be the final nail in the coffin for thousands of businesses across the hospitality sector that had only just started picking up the pieces after lockdown when the new restrictions were introduced.
Organised by the Bristol Association of Restaurants, Bars and Independent Establishments (BARBIE), the protest garnered support from over thirty local businesses, including Thekla, The Golden Guinea and Blue Lagoon.
From midday into early evening, BARBIE representatives gathered and dumped hundreds of kilos of ice on the paving in front of the Bristol City Council building.
The first ice protests took place in Glasgow last week, as pub and business owners vented their anger at the introduction of new rules that would see their premises completely closed for a minimum of 16 days.
Speaking after yesterday's protest, BARBIE Chairman and Flipside owner Andy Dodd said: "We have spent lots of time and money adapting our venue to be covid secure as well as reducing our capacity, and therefore sales, to allow for social distancing.
"We have been happy to do this as there was scientific evidence that this was needed to reduce the spread of the virus and for public health reasons. There is no scientific evidence to show that a 10pm curfew will reduce the spread.
If anything it makes it worse as everyone is ejected out of every venue into the streets where there are no masks and no rule of 6. Businesses will not survive and jobs will be lost throughout the whole sector and its supply chain"
The protest comes following the nationwide launch of the #CancelTheCurfew campaign in late September, which has earned passionate support from organisations and business owners nationwide in an effort to reverse the government's new policy.
Independent businesses in and around Bristol recently put their weight behind the campaign by posing outside the premises and inside their empty venues after 22:00, illustrating the huge loss in trade they've suffered as a result of the curfew.
Read more:
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#WeMakeEvents: Central Bristol illuminated red once again in solidarity with struggling hospitality industry
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
