A Shoreditch cereal cafe, seen by some as a symbol of rising inequality in east London, came under attack over the weekend when protesters daubed the word "scum" on the shop window and allegedly set fire to an effigy of a police officer.
Riot police were called in to defend the premises as anti-gentrification activists – some wearing pig masks and others carrying flaming torches – attacked the shop, which has generated controversy since its opening last December. The Cereal Killer Cafe, which sells a range of more than 120 breakfast cereals from around the world, drew criticism after a Channel 4 News interviewer asked whether local people could afford £3.20 for a bowl of cereal.
Footage of Saturday's attack, obtained by the Guardian, shows masked protesters shouting outside the shop front.
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One person has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, Scotland Yard said.
Police said that from around 8pm on Saturday, a "criminal element" within a group of several hundred threw missiles and caused criminal damage to shops and other businesses in and around Brick Lane. The group continued to move around the Shoreditch and Brick Lane area until around 12.30am on Sunday morning.
The owners of the cafe said that the attack had left customers, including children, "terrified for their lives". Alan Keery, who co-owns the cafe with his brother Gary, said it was "absurd" that activists were targeting their cafe, which they said was just a small business. "It's bullying at its best," he said.
One protester who was at the demonstration said the premises were targeted as a "symbol of gentrification". He added that a nearby estate agent, Marsh & Parsons, had also been attacked.
The owners posted photographs on Twitter – one showing the word "scum" written on their window and another captured from above showing a crowd. "We started a business to deliver an experience to cereal lovers, and have been thanked by local businesses for bringing tourists to the area. The mob won't win, wearing masks with pitchforks and torches – it's 2015," the pair said.
