Three of the Big Five on May Day hitlist.
Accountancy firms targeted by May Day protesters
Ernst & Young, KPMG and PriceWaterhouseCoopers form part of a list of approximately 200 companies and organisations anti-capitalist groups have named as targets for their May Day protests.
Protesters have used the theme of May Day Monopoly, with the squares on the game board representing places where protesters 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’.
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, a spokesperson confessed he was unaware of any ‘collaboration’ with Price Waterhouse. KPMG also refuted the protesters’ 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.