Police arrested a man during a Free Gaza protest in Birmingham on Saturday (16 August) when a group of men waving Palestinian flags burst into a Tesco store and allegedly threw produce on the ground.
According to The Guardian, the Hodge Hill Tesco branch was forced to close for a few minutes during the melee, with pictures on social media sites showing fruit and other produce strewn across the floor by the checkout area.
Tweets from the West Midlands Police Twitter account, read: 'Our officers dealt with a protest at Tesco, Hodge Hill [on Saturday morning] where some disorder was reported. One arrested for assaulting police.
'Protest was largely peaceful among the 100 protesters but some began throwing stock inside Tesco store. Two escorted from premises.'
The West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign, though, blamed the police for the trouble, tweeting: '[Saturday's] brutal, disproportionate attack by @wmpolice at @tesco Hodge Hill shows who they really serve and protect #FreeGaza.'
A spokesperson for Tesco added: 'The demonstration took place mainly outside the store. There was some minimal damage to a few goods inside – police were on the scene and the store reopened after being closed for just a few minutes.'
Tesco sells a number of products that are sourced from Israel, including fruit, peppers, potatoes and herbs, as well as a selection of branded goods.
The supermarket said all Israel-sourced products are labelled in accordance with EU guidelines.
The demonstration in Birmingham followed other protests outside Tesco stores elsewhere in the UK. The protesters oppose the sale of Israeli produce and products in Britain.
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