Chanting animal rights activists with fake piglet invade Jamie’s Italian restaurant in front of stunned families who had been enjoying a meal out
- Police were called by restaurant staff after ’25’ peaceful protestors stormed in
- Sussex Police said that most of the group left when asked and continued outside
- A Sussex Police spokesman also rubbished claims that officers were violent
This is the extraordinary moment vegan protestors stormed a Jamie’s Italian restaurant and clashed with police as stunned customers watch on.
Police were called by restaurant staff after around 25 peaceful protestors with a megaphone breached the restaurant in Brighton’s city centre on Friday night.
Families eating out with their children were visibly shocked as the group formed a chain and chanted: ‘What do we want? Animal liberation! When do we want it? Now’.
A woman who claimed to have been pushed by the female officer behind her last night
Sussex police said that most of the group – donning signs and chanting – left when asked but some defiantly remained in the restaurant.
A video shared by the organisation, Direct Action Everywhere, shows one protester – a young woman – claim she is pushed to the ground by a female officer.
A male officer tells her to stop ‘falling to the ground intentionally’ and Sussex Police said the group’s claims that ‘they were attacked by police’ were without basis.
‘One police officer shoved someone to the ground and when she got up two officers shoved her over again, then threatened arrest. Armed police were there too,’ said an activist who was present.
The group appeared with a piglet stuffed toy on a plate and signs with messages including the message ‘humane murder is a lie’ and ‘It’s not food, it’s violence!’
The protestors continued their event outside the restaurant after police asked them to leave
The protestors held several signs inside and outside the restaurant in the centre of Brighton
The group also claimed that police deployed a riot van but Sussex Police confirmed that it was just an officer carrier used on the weekends during heightened patrols in the city centre.
Police threw water on all of the group’s claims, saying ‘nothing of what they’re citing’ took place.
Some diners appeared irate at the activists, with some of them seen exchanging words before most of the chanting mob agreed to leave the restaurant.
Staff from the restaurant speak with Sussex Police officers who responded to a call from staff
A fake piglet on a plate was among the protest props from Direct Action Everywhere
‘Human murder is a lie’ was another sign held up in front of stunned families trying to eat
Police said the group continued to peacefully protest outside and that claims that armed police were present are tenuous as they were in the area merely as general support.
A spokesperson for the group said that they took to the eatery ‘to speak up against the oppression of our fellow animals who are used and abused, whose screams go unheard or fall on uncaring ears.’
‘We are fighting for animal liberation,’ said the DxE Brighton spokeswoman.
The spokesperson added that a customer shoved an activist and grabbed her behind before they attacked another activist who intervened, but police said no arrests were made.