We The Curious 'Acorn protest scared children with special needs'

A MASS protest action by community union Acorn at Bristol science attraction We The Curious has sparked controversy, after around 80 activists took over the foyer of the venue and announced that entry was free.

- Tristan CORK

Many parents said they welcomed the free entry, but others described the Acorn protest as 'an invasion' which left groups of children and especially those with special educational needs scared and upset.

Acorn were protesting about the venue's nine-year-old links to military company Leonardo, which funded an exhibition at We The Curious back in 2016. Leonardo, which is owned by the Italian state and has a large helicopter factory in Somerset, is on a boycott list among supporters of Palestinian people for its links to the Israeli military and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and hosting another local firm, AXA, that invests in arms firms.

On Saturday, around 80 members of the community union Acorn arrived at We The Curious around lunchtime, occupied the foyer area and told the venue's management that they were taking over and would admit everyone to the science museum for free for the rest of the day.

They put up big 'free entry signs' and mingled with visitors to explain the reason for the protest.

While that went down well with many who were waiting to pay - and among families in the area for the Bristol Harbour Festival at the time who took the opportunity of the free entry - other families and groups with children said they were not impressed.