Big Five named on May Day hit list

The protestors have banded together with a theme of May Day Monopoly, with the squares on the game board representing the places where protestors are urged to gather and ‘fight the forces of globalising darkness’.

The May Day Monopoly website claims KPMG is involved in ‘carbon trading, privatisation and the strategic management of intellectual property’. It also claims the firm ‘worked with Alchemy to asset strip Rover’ – even though Alchemy cancelled its bid for Rover before the Phoenix consortium successfully bought the car company.

E&Y is referred to as ‘the largest provider of tax avoidance expertise in US and globally’. It also makes the bizarre claim that E&Y is in ‘close collaboration with Price Waterhouse’ [sic].

While E&Y confirmed it had a number of high-profile energy sector clients but a spokesperson confessed he was unaware of any ‘collaboration’ with Price Waterhouse. KPMG also refuted the protestors’ allegations.

It said it was proud of the role it played in auditing carbon emissions and said its relationship with oil companies had been twisted.

Deloitte & Touche and Andersen are not among the large accounting firms named in the list.

At a press briefing today at New Scotland Yard assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Michael Todd said all companies listed would be visited by representatives of ‘private enterprises’ during the next ten days to advise them on taking precautions.

On Tuesday this week, Accountancy Age reported that E&Y were, along with other firms and institutes, making security preparations for the protests.

Todd said he expected as many as 1000 of the anticipated 5000 protesters to attempt to ‘bring London to a standstill’, but promised the police would do everything in their power to ensure ‘normal behaviour in London was not disrupted’.

The World Bank’s UK office in Haymarket is one of the high-profile institutions targeted for protest action. And activists are expected to protest against the banks’ reluctance to end third world debt payments.

Other protestors will demonstrate against privatisation, the fur trade, prisoner solidarity, while a meeting in Parliament Square has been organised for all those people who are ‘unhappy with the world’.

At 4pm, all the protestors are expected to converge on Oxford circus for protest down Oxford Street, which Todd admitted, was of ‘serious concern’ given the number of tourists, workers and members of the public in the area.

However he said 5000 police staff were allocated for the day, with thousands on standby if necessary, to take ‘positive action’.

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Accountancy firms on May Day alert

Mayday Monopoly