Activists protesting outside the purported home of Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in Washington DC, are reportedly demanding the abolition of his corporation, and were spotted standing next to a guillotine.
Videos posted to Twitter on Sunday show two protesters standing next to the erected execution structure - a staple of several revolutionary movements from the 19th century.
“When they become threatened, and we have no voice, the knives come out", one demonstrator said through a loudspeaker.
A poster at the event read: “Support our poor communities not our wealthy men".
DC protester says: “when they become threatened, and we have no voice, the knives come out.” In front of a guillotine set up in front of Jeff Bezos complex in DC pic.twitter.com/synjRwgD1H
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) June 28, 2020
DC protesters have set up a “guillotine” in protest of Jeff Bezos in front of his complex in DC pic.twitter.com/VZ0AWTJqaV
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) June 28, 2020
The event was advertised on Twitter from the account on Saturday. The poster accused Amazon of working with police to "surveil" employees, stoking "racist fears" and union-busting.
"Amazon fired and racially slandered labor organizer Chris Smalls. Join us to tell Bezos enough is enough!", the poster said.
It's an uprising, and we're taking it to our neighbor @JeffBezos' house #dcprotest pic.twitter.com/D70BWwZ3o8
— abolish the present / reconstruct our future (@AbolishTheNow) June 27, 2020
Chris Smalls was let go from the company this year after leading a strike in New York over poor conditions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amazon has previously been accused of union-busting and treating its workers poorly, including forcing employees to wear trackable wristbands.
Bezos is considered to be the world's wealthiest person, holding a net worth of over $100 billion.
The guillotine was popularised during the French revolution in 1789, in which the Jacobins toppled the French monarchy and sentenced members of the aristocracy and its enemies of the new regime to be decapitated.
