Mothers have staged a mass "nurse-in" protest outside Claridge's hotel in Mayfair after a woman was told to cover up when breastfeeding her child. Mother-of-three Louise Burns, 35, was asked to cover her baby's head with a napkin to avoid offending other customers in the restaurant.
The protest was organised by Free to Feed and involved around 40 mothers who sat outside the hotel's grand front doors and fed their infants.Read on.
They included Emiily Slough, 28, who founded Free to Feed after she was labelled a "tramp" on Facebook for breastfeeding in public.
She said: "I am here because someone broke the law by telling a woman to be unnecessarily discreet when she was breastfeeding in public.
"We are here to show Claridge's they are not above the law. But they have said nothing to us, they are pretending we're not here."
Emma Bullock, 25, who helped organise the protest, said: "Breastfeeding is normal and natural. I might not like it if someone chews with their mouth open, but I won't object.
"The thing is, Lou Burns was being discreet and then they put that huge tent over her to cover her up, which made it very obvious.
"We want Claridge's to issue an apology and change their policy on breastfeeding, but they have done nothing yet."
The incident sparked a huge debate about whether it is acceptable to breastfeed in public, with UKIP leader Nigel Farage among the political figures who waded in.
He caused a further outcry when he suggested on his LBC phone-in show that mothers could "sit in the corner" in restaurants to avoid upsetting people.
Protester Clare Mariscal, 36, carried a banner which read: "That's what breasts are for, stupid".
She said: "I think Farage should be made to eat in the toilet after what he has said.
"No-one has any problem with breasts when they're displayed in a dress.
"Boobs are everywhere - people only object when they are used for their normal and natural purpose."
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