Protestors gathered outside the war memorial on Old Steine in Brighton’s town centre yesterday evening in a ‘show of solidarity’ with the political uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.

A mixture of students and working professionals attached banners to the rails of the memorial and handed out leaflets in support of protests in Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Palestine.

A protestor, John Greggs of Brighton said: “I think that these people are obviously being abused and shot at, they don’t have the rights we have here.

“I just think that basically any support we can give them is good and it is what we should be doing.”

Mr Greggs also said that their leaflets were a reaction to David Cameron’s tour of the Middle East last week with some of the UK’s leading defence manufacturers in tow.

The leaflets being handed out read ‘Solidarity with the Middle East & North African Uprisings’ and seemed to be well-received by locals passing across Old Steine.

One passer-by shouted ‘nice work’ as he walked past and read the leaflet, while others eagerly inquired about the movement after reading the banners.

One of the activists, a Sussex University student who only wanted to be known as Rachel, said: “These leaflets are a reaction to what’s going on, we just really wanted to show solidarity with the Middle East at the moment because people are rising up against oppression that’s been going on for years and years.”

The group decided to take action on Friday in particular as they said Fridays are a day of popular resistance in the Middle East.

Another protestor, Sam Harwood of Brighton, said: “The revolutions are about people trying to take control of their own lives.

“We hope that these people’s struggles for liberation are successful.”

Their action will form part of many others over the coming weeks in Brighton according to Mr Harwood.