THOUSANDS of people took to the streets across Britain over the weekend to tackle food poverty and “obscene profiteering” from supermarkets, which are “shamelessly cashing in on” the cost-of-living crisis.

The People’s Assembly Against Austerity (PA) organised the protests and events on Saturday, marking the first day of school summer holidays, “a period over which many families will struggle to feed their families.”

The protesters called for supermarkets to use their profits to lower food prices and increase wages for their workers, for the government to introduce price controls on food to make it affordable for all and for free school meals for all children across the country.

In Scotland, Unite Aberdeen retired members branch chairman Tommy Campbell told protesters outside the city’s council headquarters: “Food poverty and all other forms of poverty are the direct result of an economic system that promotes and prioritises increasing profits for the employers and their shareholders at the expense of the people who work hard to  create that wealth.”

As part of the Day of Action, PA supporters in Deptford delivered two car boots full of food donations to the We Care foodbank.

And stalls were set up in towns and cities to inform the public of the action.

PA national organiser Jesse Palmer called the action an “incredible success,” telling the Star: “We managed to speak to thousands of people who were so supportive of our demands.

“There was a great turnout despite the weather and a newly launched group in Southend had a fantastic reception on their first day of action.

“Now we’re building towards our protest for the Tory conference in October, making sure they know they’re not welcome in Manchester, or in government.”

PA is organising its annual protest against the Conservative Party conference, meeting on October 1 this year, with coaches planned up and down the country bringing tens of thousands to the demonstration.

Ahead of Saturday’s action, PA national secretary Laura Pidcock, said: “With 4.2 million children in poverty, the situation families are facing is grim.

“Summer holidays are always a particularly difficult financial time for parents and carers.

“Extreme wealth inequality and grotesque levels of poverty are becoming endemic in the UK and people are absolutely sick of platitudes about ‘hard decisions’ from both sides of the Westminster political establishment.”