Pro-Palestinian protesters descend on H&M, Zara and Starbucks during Boxing Day sales

Pro-Palestinian protesters descended on branches of H&M, Zara and Starbucks during the Boxing Day sales.

A large group of demonstrators staged a sit in at the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford on Tuesday, on what is often one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

They chanted, "while while you're shopping, bombs are dropping," in solidarity with the people of Gaza, who have been targeted by Israeli airstrikes since on October 7, when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 more hostage.

More than 20,600 Palestinians - two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and militants among the dead.

Videos posted on social media showed Met Police officers guarding the doors of H&M and Zara in the east London shopping centre.

A spokesperson for the force's Newham branch said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Police attended Westfield Stratford City after a small group of protesters arrived this morning to protest inside the building."Officers supported security staff to remove the group from inside the retail premises.

"They continued their protest peacefully outside with no disruption to other members of the public. The group have now dispersed."

Videos show the pro-Palestinian group also staged protests in Starbucks.

It comes after the coffee giant sued its union, Starbucks Workers United, after the labour organization posted a since-deleted message on X expressing solidarity with Palestinians in September.

Images have also emerged on Tuesday of a new Starbucks, which opened in Edinburgh, covered in red paint which reads "Gaza bleeds".

Earlier in December, Spanish clothing retailer Zara pulled an advert and apologised after claims it made reference to the conflict in the Middle East.

In the now deleted post, the retailer shared pictures of a model surrounded by rubble, wearing a black studded leather jacket on Instagram.

She was carrying what appeared to be a mannequin wrapped in a white bag.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed it received 50 complaints about the campaign.

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