Waitrose customers told they are 'buying death' at meat counter after vegan activists storm store

Vegan demonstrators stormed a Waitrose in Brighton to chastise customers at the meat counter for “buying death.”

18 activists stood in a line around the aisle holding placards informing shoppers that “it’s not food, it’s violence” and brandishing plates covered in fake blood.

The Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) group, which includes the daughter of a millionaire meat salesman, also carried flowers for the dead animals being sold as meat.

A protester shouted through a loudhailer: “Animals are not things. Lives are not commodities. It's time to end these cruel and bloody traditions. Take the death off your plate this Christmas.

“This Christmas time you might be worried about what presents to buy and how to organise family get togethers, but the animals are facing carnage.

“Around ten million turkeys are slaughtered this time of year so they can end up on your Christmas table in the United Kingdom.”

Protesters also spoke to shoppers directly, with one telling a man buying meat that he was “intellectually barren.”

Sussex police were called to the shop at around 2.45pm on Saturday, but there were no arrests.

The officer asked protesters to leave the shop, telling them: “I am still going to ask you all to leave as you are not allowed to be in here.”

A spokesperson  for Waitrose said: “We pride ourselves on exceptional animal welfare, with our turkeys farmed to high standards at farms we know and trust.”

The group also recently stormed a local steakhouse earlier this month and played sounds of animals being murdered to protest the sale of beef.

Another group then started a pro-meat chant, shouting “stand up if you love meat.”

Among the protesters at the steakhouse was Morgan Kayleigh Giampaolo,who is the daughter of American businessman David Giampaolo, who runs Pi Capital and is Chairman of Gousto, which sells meat.