Activists staged a sit-in demonstration at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh as they demand a cut in the price of baby formula and a commitment to community food hubs.
Nine people from This Is Rigged entered the royal dining room at around 1.15pm on Monday February 19 carrying banners with the slogans including ‘is treasa tuath na tighearna’ (the slogan of the Highland Land League, translating to ‘the people are mightier than a lord’), and ‘change begins in the kitchen, not the boardroom,’ and tartan napkins reading ‘TiR.’
The group crossed the barrier and sat down at the table before beginning to eat and drink from tupperware and flasks.
This is Rigged is calling on supermarkets to reduce the price of baby formula to March 2021 prices, and demanding the Scottish Government fully fund and implement a community food hub per every 500 households in Scotland.
Read More: Glasgow Sainsbury's protest sees four women arrested
The group is asking the Scottish Government to meet with them to discuss the implementation of community food hubs, which is part of their demands centred around the cost of living crisis to establish these hubs per 500 households.
Jasmin Robertson, 19, a student and grower from the Highlands said: “Our food system is something that connects us all, but it has become so fragile in the hands of profiteering corporations.
"It's time we make space around the table for people, and invest in communities, in a food system that is equal and just, that doesn’t let individuals profit from collective struggle. The Scottish Government has to stick to their promises of a ‘Good food Nation’, it’s time we take back the power from corporate greed."
Sorcha Ní Mháirtín, 30, a community food worker from Ireland and based in Glasgow, said: “Access to good food is a human right. The cost of food has risen dramatically, meaning many in Scotland face huge challenges in accessing appropriate food. I want the government to take notice and to better fund social infrastructures that support people to access food in a dignified manner.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 1.15pm on Monday, 19 February, we received a report of a protest in a room open to the public at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.
“Officers attended but the protestors had left. No damage has been reported at this time but enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”
The Royal Collection Trust has been contacted for comment.
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