Man’s pants protest over just what is ‘essential’
A WELSHMAN who walked into Tesco wearing just his underwear said he did so to “prove a point” following the Welsh Government ban on non-essentials.
Christopher Noden, from Newport, appeared on Good Morning Britain yesterday to discuss why he attempted to enter Tesco in Spytty Retail Park, Newport, wearing just his smalls.
On Saturday a video emerged of Mr Noden pushing a trolley into the Tesco store, and his wife, Dawn Noden, could be heard telling staff that “clothes are non-essentials”.
Mr Noden was refused entry to the store, but he and his wife insisted that a member of staff admit clothing was essential before they left.
Speaking on GMB, Mr Noden said: “It felt like I was going to prove my point. I wanted to prove the point, my wife showed me this meme on Facebook ‘Only in Wales can you go shopping without your clothes on’.
“So I said, ‘come on then, let’s prove the point in Wales you can go shopping without your clothes on and there’s nothing you can do about it’.”
Mr Noden referred to conversations he’d had with his wife about instances where clothes are essential, such as for premature babies or others who may need them.
He said: “As soon as he [the staff member] said clothes were essential the point was proven and it was happy, like, we didn’t go out attacking the Welsh Government with it, but it is obviously proving a big point to them.”
Supermarkets are not responsible for the policy, but they had to implement Welsh Government policy at short notice.
When asked what he would like to see the Welsh Government considering yesterday as they were due to review the ban, Mr Noden said: “Turning up in their pants.”
He added: “To me personally, everyone can find essential items in something.
“I understand they have to control crowds in shops, but if someone really needs something or an item, what is it to stop them. They are actually blocking these aisles off with sweets, chocolate, bottles of vodka, whisky, lager, they are blocking it off with all non-essential items, essentially. I don’t know what is essential or not, it is a bit mad, like.”
The Welsh Government revealed there would be a ban on retailers selling nonessential items such as toys and clothes during the two-week “firebreak” lockdown in Wales.
The news sparked fury among some people over the weekend, and one man was filmed ripping off plastic sheeting from clothing in another Tesco store in Bangor.
On Sunday, Mark Drakeford said supermarkets could use their own “discretion” when it came to selling nonessential goods.