A group of protesters descended on Dorchester town centre wearing Guy Fawkes masks at the weekend.

The protest was organised by Anonymous for the Voiceless to highlight animal cruelty in the meat and dairy industry.

Saturday marked International Cube Day, and saw 58 protests take place across the UK, including Dorchester.

As part of the day, a group of vegan protesters formed a human cube in South Street, where they showed shocking images of animals being mistreated.

One of the organisers, Mike Maher said: “We’re showing footage of what really goes on in the meat and dairy industry, where they use animals for exploitation.

“We’re encouraging people to go vegan. It’s better for the animals and the environment as well as our own health.

“The videos we’re showing people on our laptops can be quite shocking, but the thing is we don’t push it onto people, they can come and approach us if they like. And if they come over, we then give them some more information.”

He added: “I feel Dorchester needs it. It’s a small town, but people need to learn about what goes on. All the photographs and footage we show is from UK farms.

“We want an end to animal exploitation full stop. The people we show this to don’t always understand how bad it is.”

He explained the protesters wore Guy Fawkes masks as a symbol of ‘social justice.’

Gill Swan, a volunteer and activist, was speaking with residents while the protest took place.

She said: “I’ve spoken to a few people who are already vegetarian and are thinking about going vegan. I’ve done several of these protests before. You do generally get the odd person who makes a silly remark, but I think people are largely very supportive.”

Vanessa Turner, a vegan and activist, who runs Shop Cruelty Free, said she was pleased to see the protesters in the town centre.

She explained: “I think it’s brilliant. I didn’t know they would be here until last night. That’s why I’m here supporting them today.”

A resident, who did not wished to be unnamed, said: “I can’t see what they’re protesting about, I’ve worked with animals my whole life. In my opinion it’s individuals who treat animals tough, not the whole industry. I can’t really see what they’re trying to do. I thought it was something to do with Halloween at first because of the masks.”