Why is Tesco letting a cult fundraise in its shops

[WhyIsTescoSupportingACult]

obviously NC for this

went to the big Tesco in Beckton, east London, earlier today. 2 young men were enthusiastically dancing and singing whilst holding those fundraising buckets. They were collecting donations for the UKCG ‘helpline’.

UKCG is a Christian cult, started in Brazil, but now present in a number of countries. Their leader/founder has spent a significant amount of time in jail. They are a dangerous organisation.

why is Tesco allowing a cult to fundraise in its shops??

The threats they used to silence children and parents of children that were abused go back a lot less than 400 years, and even 40 years. All western religion is, fundamentally, a protection racket designed to keep the little people in their place.

Tesco , like many businesses, allow charities to fundraise and can't police their activities

They can police their activities while on their premises though - for a start by preventing them from harrassing people for donations though

Tesco, Waitrose, M&S etc should definitely do due diligence before allowing fundraising to take place on their premises. Their customers would likely and reasonably believe that these retailers would not allow organisations that carry out ‘exorcisms’, intimidation of their members and more on their site, and wouldn’t want to be associated with this.

They could, as someone suggested, ban ALL religious and belief organisations. So that would include the Salvation Army brass band, Muslim women’s groups, Scientologists, and a humanist food bank. They can’t decide that some religious groups are acceptable and ban others.

They can’t decide that some religious groups are acceptable and ban others.

Why not? I’ve never heard of the group mentioned in the OP, so can’t comment on them. But generally speaking, presumably some religious groups are far more extreme than others. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to differentiate.

Not another coffee place to boycott! I’ve already given up Costa after their ad campaign with the mastectomy scars

No they couldn't. That really would be discriminatory.

It's also totally unnecessary because 'we don't like your particular organisation, what it stands for and therefore won't host it' is perfectly lawful.

The Catholic Church has never gone after members with threats if they drop out of church

I agree with your overall sentiment, but this was a really bad example! The Catholic Church is notorious for persecuting heretics. What about the Inquisition? What do you think Mary I was burning Protestants for? What were all the Crusades about?

It's also totally unnecessary because 'we don't like your particular organisation, what it stands for and therefore won't host it' is perfectly lawful.

We don’t like your women’s organisation as we feel they should remain in the home and therefore won’t host…
We don’t like your Jewish organisation and think Jews should be extradited and therefore won’t host…
We don’t like Gay organisations and what they stand for and therefore won’t host…
We don’t like Billy Graham Evangelist Association and therefore refuse to host… what do you mean we have to pay you £100k compensation for discrimination?

Not read the whole thread.
Cult or not, not sure their picture should be posted without their permission. Very unfair. Everyone has the choice to donate or not, but you have taken this lads choice away

Tesco can decide what charity they want in their store. They will receive far more requests than they can grant so they already say no to some and yes to others.

LOL! Except that if you decide you don't believe and don't participate and give money, they won't be putting a hit on you or tell everyone to hate you. They'll give you no special kool-aid to drink, nor will they imprison you until you give in. Maybe, centuries ago they did, but they evolved. Kind of like the human race in general.......🙄

I’m astonished that Tesco allowed an organisation like the UCKG to fundraise on its premises. It’s not hard to find the facts about it. A glance at its Wikipedia page reveals strings of accusations. Wikipedia is careful to stay on the right side of libel laws, but come on Tesco, give it a bit of thought.

You could have blacked out the faces like you would do if you posted pictures of yourself on here

I’ve reported the pics to@mnhq but as always, not everyone is treated the same. If Lucinda shopping at Waitrose had her picture posted, I’m pretty sure it would have been removed asap.
Hey ho

According to uk photography laws, if your in public theres no expectation of privacy, i believe, that said i could be wrong.

Not sure why everyone is so panicked about the photos.

OP stated that this dodgy organisation is fundraising in Tesco. Showed a photo of that exact thing happening.

She didn’t say the people in the photos were guilty of any particular wrongdoing or even that they were members of the cult. Just that they were fundraising for the cult.

I think some people just like to play ‘the adult’ in these situations and tell everyone else of imagined dangers. People are free to take your photo when you’re in a public place.

I saw this outside a H&M in nottingham Saturday morning! Had no clue what they were doing of who they were

The posts about defamation are beyond ridiculous.

No pp, it is not defamatory to criticise a charity and include a photo. Op has made no reference to the individuals in the photo, she simply took a photo in public. Welcome to the internet.

This imaginary defamation case would be laughed out of the door.

If they didn't want their photos taken maybe they shouldn't be out collecting money for an abusive homophobic cult.

YANBU @WhyIsTescoSupportingACult they sound awful!

I would not be giving though - as I never give to chuggers/beggars/people trying to sell me stuff!!! I am sick of them. Right now, my biggest annoyance is Big Issue sellers coming at me every time I leave fucking Morrisons this past month. Can't get out of the doorway without them blocking you.

Also 'have you done your will yet madam' keeps being called over to me from some salesman trying to get people to do a will with the company he is representing. A dozen fucking times he has asked now... in 3 weeks. How many different ways can I say 'NO I already have a will?!'

I am so done with people trying to sell me stuff/sign up to things/begging money! Just bore off. I'm not made of money! (And I don't want to join your cult!)

.

It's not just Tesco, they've been in my local Morrisons over the last few weeks. It annoys me when I see them.

Enjoying the legal arguments here, it's like a real life online defamation trial.

I also hate being pestered when out and about. I once saw a charity woman heading towards me with a clipboard as I was leaving a supermarket, I had my prepared 'no not interested' answer in my head when she asked me if 'I cared about children with cancer'.

My reply was already out of my mouth before I fully registered what she'd asked, the look on her face as I walked past...

You'd think supermarkets would do a brief bit of homework before letting charlatans like these use their premises to scam money from the unsuspecting. They were the subject of a Panorama doc only a few weeks ago!

Hopefully a sign their ££ is running out?

There are current and active concerns about the activities of UCKG in the UK, in addition to their historical safeguarding failures and concerns about their activities in other countries. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67592961

I don’t know if there is a legal definition of ‘cult’, but if the OP was using the word to describe a ‘high control religious group’ (which is a definition I have seen used) then UCKG would certainly seem to fit that description.

TESCO and other supermarkets need to carry out even minimal due diligence (even a cursory internet search would have brought up the BBC report) before letting charities fundraise to the general public on their premises.