Members of the public have been seen dragging animal rights activists from a road during a demonstration in central London. 

Justice group Animal Rebellion blocked Westminster Bridge in a demonstration against the government’s involvement in animal farming on Tuesday. Traffic was brought to a standstill for about an hour. 

Five protesters were arrested for obstruction of the highway while a sixth person was arrested for allegedly assaulting a protester during the demonstration, the Metropolitan Police said.

The subsidiary of controversial climate group Extinction Rebellion set up a candle-lit dinner table in the middle of the road with one protester dressed as Rishi Sunak sat behind it.

Video footage uploaded to their social media accounts showed the moment a member of the public started dragging protesters from the road. 

Photos show at least two people trying to remove demonstrators and the dinner table from the bridge. 

The action is part of the group's wider objective to advocate for a global transition to ‘a plant-based future’ and for the British government to invest greater resources into plant-based food production.

In a statement posted to their twitter account, the group confirmed that the protesters are seeking an “alternative to the cruel and destructive food system that our government loves so much”.

The group has previously staged anti-dairy protests in which milk supplies were emptied and poured onto the floor of supermarkets across Britain.