Protesters gatecrashed the Lord Mayor's Banquet on Monday(12th) as posh nosh guests were greeted by a 100-strong angry mob who had not so kindly organised an alternative feast. Dishing it up involved representatives from suffering European countries such as Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Greece acting as European leaders dressed in dinner jackets, ball gowns and pig masks, serving 'austerity soup' and peanuts outside the Guildhall in London  - all to the soundtrack of samba and European music provided by the Rhythms of resistance samba band. This was while inside the new Lord Mayor, Alderman Roger Gifford wined and dined the world's finest degenerates in the form of bankers, politicians and business leaders.

The Plebs & PIIGS Banquet was brought together by an amalgamation of groups such as PIIGS United, Occupy London, Coalition of Resistance, Queer Resistance, Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts (BARAC), Disabled People Against the Cuts, Greater London Association of Trade Union Councils, Peter Tatchell, NUS Black Students’ Campaign, Left Front Art (queer politics and arts collective), Globalise Resistance, Greece Solidarity Campaign, Londres Contra a Troika (Portuguese Resistance), 15M London Assembly (Spanish Resistance), Solidarity With The Greek Resistance (Greek Resistance), Wake Up! (Italian Resistance), New Communist Party and Art Protesters (Portugal/International) plus more (that's one big tent!).

This action was a starter course leading up to the European wide day of action and strikes that occurred Wednesday(14th) across Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Italy, France and the UK.

Sam Fairbairn from the coalition of resistance voiced the opinion of many in the 99% saying: “Two years of Tory-led government has made it clear – austerity isn’t working. Across Europe policies of austerity are driving millions of people into poverty while it’s business as usual for the people who caused the crisis. The governments tell us there is no alternative. They say that we are 'all in it together'. The Mayor hosts his annual banquet at which he will entertain bankers who caused the crisis and the politicians who are making ordinary people pay for it. While they are being wined and dined with expensive champagne and Michelin class food, millions of ordinary people struggle to feed their families. The gap between rich and poor increases every day. We are not 'all in it together'".

The alternative feast had a few gatecrashers of its own in the form of some drunk bankers who in antithesis to the protesters shouted their support for their glorious European leaders, especially David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

Police arrested seven protesters (but no bankers) with breaching Section 14 of the Public Order Act and detained them overnight.