Protesters dump horse manure beneath Ritz Hotel Christmas tree in wealth inequality stunt

A shocking protest unfolded at The Ritz London on Wednesday December 3 2025 when three supporters of a newly formed campaign group Take Back Power dumped plastic bags filled with horse manure beneath the hotel’s 25 foot Christmas tree in the lobby.
The sequence captured on video shows the activists wheeling suitcases into the hotel, unzipping them to reveal the manure and tipping the contents under the tree. Hotel staff quickly intervened, dragging the trio out of the lobby. Outside the hotel, the activists sat with protest placards that read “INEQUALITY IS S**T” and “TAX THE RICH.”
According to Take Back Power, the stunt was intended to highlight the widening gulf between Britain’s super rich and ordinary people. The group is calling for the establishment of a permanent legally binding citizens’ assembly described as a “House of the People” empowered to set and enforce taxes on extreme wealth.
One protester, 23 year old NHS worker Ellen Redwood Brown, said “The billionaires, corporations and corrupt politicians running Britain don’t care about us. While working in the NHS, I have seen people dying because they couldn’t get appointments whilst doctors are working 15 hour shifts.”
Another, 65 year old former doctor and community worker Tom Barber, described the concentration of wealth as “obscenely” skewed in favour of a tiny elite. He argued that only by letting ordinary people decide wealth taxation through a citizens’ assembly can society correct such inequalities.
The lobby of The Ritz London, located in Piccadilly Mayfair, was left reeking of manure. The luxury hotel’s staff reportedly reacted with revulsion.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service responded to a call at approximately 12 14 pm. Upon arrival, they found the manure in the lobby. Police confirmed they were investigating for criminal damage though no arrests have been made as of now.
In a statement, a Take Back Power spokesperson said the protest was only the first of many planned nonviolent actions. They argued that while the super rich have more than doubled their wealth since the pandemic, millions of people including children are facing poverty this Christmas. Establishing a “House of the People” that can levy wealth taxes is, they argue, the only way to fix the systemic inequality.
In the coming days the police will continue their inquiries. It remains to be seen whether any further action will be taken against the activists or whether the protest will spark a broader public debate over wealth inequality and taxation in the UK.