Today (Monday 31st May) people came out in force to protest Israeli's massacre of participants in the aid flotilla to Gaza.

Protesters used banners, placards and leaflets to publicise the ongoing suffering of Gazans as well as the recent massacre.

The demonstration moved through Bristol to blockade Tescos and Marks and Spencers, two of the most significant supporters of Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, who the protesters said used stolen land to grow food to sell as Israeli produce.

More than 100 people turned up to an impromptu demonstration in Bristol city centre today to protest Israel’s deadly attack on a flotilla taking urgent supplies to the citizens of Gaza.

The initial demonstration took place opposite the Hippodrome theatre on Sunday afternoon. Despite the fact that the demonstration was organised via text message and web sites only hours before its start, the attendance was impressive.

The protestors brought placards, banners and leaflets to highlight the plight of Gazans suffering under the Israeli blockade, which the aid flotilla aimed to help alleviate.

The mixed array of anti-war protestors, anarchists, Palestinians and Muslims drew a significant interest from passers-by and judging by the horns from passing vehicles were very much welcomed by Bristolians. On protestor said “I haven’t seen this much support for a Palestine demo from ordinary people for ages”.

After more than an hour outside the hippodrome the demonstrators listened to speeches from a number of activists and ordinary people. One man had travelled up Taunton and told the demo how Jews, Muslims and Christians had coexisted peacefully in the Middle-East and elsewhere in the Arab world for centuries, but that the establishment of Israel 60 years ago had challenged this coexistence.

Another speaker reminded the crowd that much of what is labelled and sold in Tescos and Marks and Spencers as “Israeli produce” is actually illegally produced by Israeli companies on stolen Palestinian land, and as such contravenes international law.

Thereafter the protesters decided to undertake an impromptu march to Broadmead to protest against Marks and Spencers and Tescos, two significant supporters of the Israeli occupation and theft of Palestinian land.

A number of anarchist protestors entered the shops aiming to confiscate illegal produce but despite the complete lack of police presence there was no damage done to people or property. Protestors blockaded Tescos and Marks and Spencers on Broadmead, making their way to the first floor of the latter.

At the time of writing there was no significant disorder or damage.