Video footage captures the moment a man got into an angry confrontation with animal rights activists who were protesting in Broadmead.
It is not clear how the incident started but the man appears to act aggressively while making several attempts to square off with some of the group members.
A volunteer spokesperson for Anonymous for the Voiceless, a global animal rights organisation, said for the last five years they have held demonstrations in Broadmead with minor issues but "this was the worst" they had seen.
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He added: “The demos work via us showing footage of what happens to farmed animals on farms and in slaughterhouses and then us engaging in conversation about veganism with those who wish to stop and watch the footage.”
The incident erupted on Sunday, November 21, outside of the Card Factory and in front of onlookers also appeared startled by the ordeal.
According to the volunteer, the man claimed the footage had upset his daughter and believed that veganism should be a choice and not something the group should be imposing onto people.
“One of our activists then offered to take him aside for a chat in private, and he did so, but then became threatening again accusing one of the people showing the footage of eyeballing him,” he added.
The group said parental consent is required for children to be shown the footage they have of animals being abused.
“Many parents will not let their child see it but many make a point of letting their child watch it so they know exactly how their food gets to their plate," added the spokesperson.
“We’ve done this generally without issue since 2016 and, while we get the odd hostile encounter, this was the worst I’ve seen since doing it here, and perhaps the only time we’ve felt the need to call the police.
“We’re just here to spread a peaceful message and never put our hands on anyone,” he added.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they received a third-party report of a man acting in a disorderly manner in a public place at around 2.50 pm on Sunday 21 November.
