Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Chanel fashion show in Manchester – after defiant locals belted out karaoke tunes when police said they were banned from watching event from their balconies
Pro-Palestine protesters were filmed chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ while disrupting an exclusive Chanel fashion show in Manchester that police had banned local people from watching from their balconies.
The controversial catwalk event took place on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter and whilst celebrities including Hugh Grant and Olivia Atwood were in attendance, there were strict controls on locals.
The French fashion house had already requested residents dim their lights and not walk on their balconies during proceedings before police formed a barrier around the event.
Whilst the show was going on, protesters were filmed waving flags and chanting ‘Free Palestine’ in efforts to draw an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza strip.
The large crowd could be heard from the exclusive event which was held under a canopy in torrential rain.
Pro-Palestine protesters were filmed chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ while disrupting an exclusive Chanel fashion show in Manchester
The large crowd could be heard from the exclusive event which was held under a canopy in torrential rain
The controversial catwalk event took place on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter
In the nearby Millstone Pub – a short walk away from the event – locals crammed into the establishment pushing back pints and singing karaoke
Meanwhile in response to the crackdown on attendance and disruption the event has caused the city Centre, fed up Mancunians blared karaoke from nearby pubs throughout proceedings.
READ MORE: Fed-up Mancunians DEFY orders to not disrupt Chanel’s Metiers d’Art fashion show: Locals belt out karaoke and hold protest rally yards from the outdoor catwalk
Punters were pictured gathered in the nearby Millstone Pub wearing Father Christmas hats and blasting the Lady in Red, pushing back pints while the celebrities watched the models walk.
As backlash built against Chanel this week, one resident said: ‘We were told not to go on our balconies and to keep our curtains shut during the show. It was more or less: ‘We strongly suggest you don’t go on your balcony or if you have lights on in your home close the curtain.’
He said he began receiving letters about the fashion show around three weeks ago.
‘We’ve had a handful of letters which have been like a drip feed of information because they want to keep it on the down low even though everyone knows it’s a Chanel show’, he added.
Within the letters he says event dates were given and residents were warned the area was set to become ‘very active’ from Monday, December 4.
Thomas Street had been closed to locals for more than a month, while access to other nearby roads, between Nicholas Croft and Copperas Street, were closed today.
Hugh Grant took time away from his promotional tour of his latest film Wonka as he attended Chanel’s Metiers d’Art show in Manchester on Thursday with his wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein
Barriers were erected around The Chanel Metiers d’Art Fashion Show
Thomas Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter has been closed for two weeks already due to the events
Locals have complained about the disruption in the area as works are carried out to prepare for the show
The venue and details of the Métiers d’Art catwalk were kept a tightly-guarded secret – but according to local media earlier this month, dozens of boxes with the show’s name emblazoned upon were seen in the same area.
Business owners on the street expressed concerns over profit after Chanel paid them to shut for the day – but they fear the reimbursement will not cover the losses they will suffer from missing out on a day’s custom.
Entrepreneurs in the immediate vicinity signed non-disclosure agreements to prevent them speaking about the event.
When asked about the transformation of Thomas Street, he said: ‘It’s a lot of money spent on basically a glorified canopy.
‘If they leave it up that will be really good for the businesses during winter time and if there’s heating and stuff that would be great. I feel like it’s a little over zealous but it’s cool it’s not happening in London or somewhere like that.’
A manager of a bar on nearby High Street, said they have suffered reduced footfall due to people assuming the businesses in the area are shut in the lead up to the event.
He said: ‘It looks closed unless you’re coming from Edge Street. We’ve had to change our entrance. On Saturday (December 3) I would say we were a couple of grand down.’
The manager said the business has been compensated for the days it has been told to close [Wednesday and Thursday] but worries the amount given may not cover the total losses incurred.
Chanel’s show, which has previously been held in ‘fashion capital’ cities like London and Paris, is being held in Manchester this year due to its cultural links.
The Chanel website describes the city in the north west as, ‘one of the most effervescent cities of pop culture and an avant-garde one, whose bands, spanning all genres, have changed the history of music.’
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