Support the Zao An Café Team — Call for an Independent Investigation Now

After months of persistent bullying and harassment from senior figures in the charity -  particularly targeting young female staff - the Zao An Café team has made the difficult decision to leave the ESEA Community Centre in protest. We no longer feel it is a safe working environment.

Multiple whistleblowing submissions and safeguarding alerts have been escalated to the Board, key stakeholders, and the Charity Commission -  yet our concerns remain unaddressed.

Instead of addressing these serious issues, staff have faced retaliation. Public misinformation about the café’s finances has been used to justify the termination of staff and managers who raised legitimate concerns.

Who is affected?

Everyone who works at or relies on the ESEA Community Centre is at risk when governance fails:

• Young female staff
• Current and future staff members
• Community members who rely on the centre as a safe and welcoming space
• The wider ESEA community who trust the charity to uphold safeguarding standards
• When safeguarding is ignored and retaliation is tolerated, no one is safe to speak up.

What is at stake?

Without accountability and governance reform:

• Staff will continue to be vulnerable to bullying and harassment
• Whistleblowers will face retaliation
• The charity will breach its legal and moral duties
• Trust in the ESEA Community Centre will be further eroded
• The Staff and Managers who spoke up will have lost their jobs based on misinformation spread about the cafe finances in an attempt to silence those who spoke up against wrongdoing.

We cannot allow this pattern to continue. We must act to protect both staff and the community.

Why now?

The Zao An Café team -  supported by the wider community -  is speaking out because internal channels have failed.

• 5 formal complaints of bullying and harassment by female staff and managers remain unaddressed
• Whistleblowers and safeguarding leads have been removed through unfair dismissals, suspension, or forced resignation
• Public attacks and misinformation continue to be used to silence dissent
• If we do not act now, future staff and community members will face the same unsafe environment. The Centre cannot fulfil its mission while these governance failures persist.

We petition the Charity Commission and our funders & stakeholders (Hackney Council, the Greater London Authority, Independent Age) to oversee an independent investigation and governance reform at the ESEA Community Centre (HCCSA Ltd):

✅ Conduct an independent third-party investigation into bullying and harassment cases (5 unaddressed open cases since January 2025)

✅ Initiate a formal Board governance review to establish accountability for failing to address safeguarding and bullying concerns, and for breaches of the charity’s safeguarding and anti-bullying policies

✅ Ensure clear organisational consequences for retaliatory behaviour in breach of safeguarding, whistleblowing, and anti-bullying policies

✅ Implement a transparent and democratic Board re-election process to reflect the wider ESEA community and prevent future governance failures

✅ Formal apology and admission of wrongdoing from the Board and the dismissal of the manager & trustees involved in the systemic bullying and harassment highlighted in the formal grievances.

Sign this petition to say:

🛑 Bullying and harassment must not be tolerated

🛑 Retaliation against whistleblowers must end

✅ The ESEA Community Centre must be a safe and welcoming space for all

We deserve safety, dignity, and accountability -  and we demand it now.