Survivors of alleged abuse by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed protested outside the London store, accusing Harrods of “silence and delay” that compounds their harm. The vigil marked two years since a BBC documentary exposed allegations that span from 1977 to 2014; police are handling at least 159 direct contacts while Operation Cornpoppy probes potential enablers. Campaigners and APPG MPs say Harrods’ compensation scheme is distrusted and demand clearer answers, accountability and respect for survivors.
‘Silence And Delay’: Survivors Stage Protest Outside Harrods Two Years After BBC Exposé
FILE PHOTO: Then Harrod's owner Mohamed Al Fayed doning a Victorian emerald and diamond tiara, reduced from 78,000 to 58,500, after Welsh singer Charlotte Church opened the Knightsbridge store's January sale in London. (is associated with: «Al Fayed survivors protest outside Harrods over 'silence and delay'») William Conran/PA Wire/dpa
Survivors who say they were abused by the late billionaire Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed gathered outside the store in central London to protest what they described as Harrods' damaging “silence and delay.” Campaigners said the company's response is compounding survivors’ harm and called for answers, accountability and respect.
The vigil coincided with the second anniversary of a BBC documentary that first made the allegations public. The demonstration was organised by Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors and supported by members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Survivors of Fayed and Harrods, including APPG co-chairs Labour MP Dave Robertson and Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain.
Scale of allegations and police inquiry
Since the documentary aired, more than 400 allegations of sexual misconduct have been reported relating to Al Fayed and people linked to him, covering the period from 1977 to 2014 and including sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The Metropolitan Police say they are handling at least 159 victims who contacted the force directly; that total includes 21 victims who came forward before Al Fayed's death in 2023 aged 94.
Operation Cornpoppy, the criminal investigation launched in November 2024, is probing people who may have facilitated or enabled Al Fayed's crimes. Seven people have been questioned under caution so far: four women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 80s, and three men in their 60s, 70s and 80s.
Campaigners' demands and allegations against Harrods
“This gathering is about survivors standing together and making themselves impossible to ignore,” said Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors co-chairs Jen Mills and Lindsay Mason.
They added: "Make no mistake: this is Britain's Epstein — comfortably the largest abuse scandal perpetrated by one individual in this country, and the largest corporate sexual abuse scandal in the world. Two years after the documentary, survivors are still being made to wait and are still being treated as an inconvenience to be managed."
MPs at the vigil accused Harrods of trying to “wash their hands of this scandal.” Campaigners and APPG members say most survivors distrust Harrods’ compensation scheme and that the company and the Fayed Estate continue to dispute matters while survivors wait for meaningful redress. The APPG has said it will press Harrods directly about what staff — including some who may still be employed — knew about alleged trafficking and abuse linked to the store.
Legal and investigative follow-up
KP Law, the firm representing at least 275 survivors, recently said total compensation awards could amount to an estimated £100 million–£150 million. Keaton Stone, the investigator whose work helped prompt the BBC documentary and husband of survivor Sophia Stone, said the inquiry that began in 2018 has since brought more than 500 survivors together worldwide and that he will continue pursuing evidence, enablers and unanswered questions.
The protest outside Harrods underlined survivors' frustration at perceived delays and opacity in both corporate and estate responses, and signalled ongoing public and political pressure for a fuller investigation and accountability.
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