On Sat November 29 Brighton Against Starbucks marks a six month campaign against the coffee chain with a mass demonstration outside the St James' St branch. Join us and have your say from noon until 2pm.

Starbucks in Kemptown opened illegally in May - without full planning permission from the council.

When the world's largest coffee chain bought Sussex Stationers on St James St in Kemptown and applied for change of planning permission to that of A3 (café) use, a majority of local residents and traders were pissed off.

Almost 500 letters were written in objection – homogenisation to Starbucks support of Guantanamo Bay (it has a branch there) - plus it turned out this city’s Local Plan does not allow for another café in the street.

Yet, Starbucks, with six city branches, refitted as a café and opened anyway and are now claiming they are a ‘shop’ with baskets of cups and beans hastily rolled out.

The council are threatening to 'take action' but that's as far as it goes. Starbucks can afford to stay whether they make a profit or not and have been granted another six month's appeal period.

Local caffs which are losing customers every day don't have that luxury and face closure.

Starbucks is walking over the council and local traders and us. Enough is enough.
Stand up to the corporate bullying and shut them down.