Feminist campaigners clambered on to the roof of the London Councils building and set off smoke flares to protest against cuts to domestic violence services.
About 400 women from the Sisters Uncut collective gathered outside City Hall in Southwark carrying banners reading “They cut we bleed” and “Safety is a right”.
The group then marched to the London Councils building, in Southwark Street, and staged an occupation of the roof.
Purple and green smoke flares were set off in the road as the protesters held a street party in the road, bringing traffic to a halt.
The rally was organised to highlight cuts to domestic violence charities and organisations which previously received local authority funding.
Sisters Uncut claim all of the major political parties are planning to make more cuts after the next general election.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Women united will never be defeated" ROAD OCCUPATION <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SistersUncut" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-https://twitter.com/SistersUncut" data-vars-event-id="c23">@SistersUncut</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&id=222025&p=http://t.co/IEU9h320vp" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-http://t.co/IEU9h320vp" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/IEU9h320vp</a>— UK Uncut (@UKuncut) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/UKuncut/status/595216893306413056" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-https://twitter.com/UKuncut/status/595216893306413056" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 4, 2015</a>
Lucy Strange, a member of Sisters Uncut, said: “Domestic violence services have been cut by 30 per cent, all of the main political parties want to cut after the next election.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SistersUncut" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-https://twitter.com/SistersUncut" data-vars-event-id="c23">@SistersUncut</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&id=222025&p=http://t.co/RpbYpkQTzr" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-http://t.co/RpbYpkQTzr" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/RpbYpkQTzr</a>— Electrotrasgu (@Electrotrasgu) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Electrotrasgu/status/595236280776171520" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-https://twitter.com/Electrotrasgu/status/595236280776171520" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 4, 2015</a>
She added: “Women are underrepresented in parliament, this is women standing together to take political action.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SistersUncut" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-https://twitter.com/SistersUncut" data-vars-event-id="c23">@SistersUncut</a> stop traffic in central London. Public spending cuts are killing women. Stop the cuts <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/maydaysisters?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-https://twitter.com/hashtag/maydaysisters?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#maydaysisters</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&id=222025&p=http://t.co/rwo3OU4HzO" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-http://t.co/rwo3OU4HzO" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/rwo3OU4HzO</a>— UK Uncut (@UKuncut) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/UKuncut/status/595210104917663746" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-54241-https://twitter.com/UKuncut/status/595210104917663746" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 4, 2015</a>
Another protester, who would only give her name as Joanna, said: “I genuinely believe that without a domestic violence support worker I would be dead.
“I was lucky - there was someone on the phone who knew what to say, who believed in me and who gave me time to work out what I wanted. I’m protesting because everyone should be allowed access and support from people who understand.”
A police spokesman said no arrests were made.
London Councils have been contacted for a comment. The Department of Health refused to give a comment during purdah.
