A hard-left activist has boasted how he 'f***** knocked out' a seagull after it stole his £9 fish burger during a seaside holiday - but accused people upset by him of 'overreacting'

Witnesses saw Jonathan 'Jonny' Roberts grab and punch the protected bird, leaving it with suspected fatal injuries last week.

Pictures of Mr Roberts were spread across social media as his actions received international condemnation and police confirmed they were investigating.

Now the pro-Palestine activist - who regularly posts anti-Israel messages on X including many accusing them of animal cruelty - has admitted the offence during a live chat on X - in an interview in which he apparently thought he could downplay what happened.

Describing the incident, which happened in front of his wife and daughter in St Ives, Cornwall on Wednesday (10 June) he said: 'A lot of seagulls swooped down and stole my f*****g fish butty. So I f*****g knocked one out. That was it.

'I literally punched it right on the f*****g head. I fully admit that. People are making out I stamped on its f*****g head.'

Herring gulls are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, offenders can face unlimited fines and up to six months in prison.

Rosie Reynolds who witnessed the attack said: 'He was walking with his wife and child and the gull just swooped down.

'He just grabbed it and had its head in his hand and punched it hard in the chest. It was sort of held in his arm so it couldn't escape.

'After three or four punches the bird went limp then he threw it to the ground where it just lay there, it was still alive but its chest cavity was caved in and I think it just went off to die.

'I went over and berated him as did some other people, I said 'you can't do that, it's illegal' and his wife said the same, I think she was shocked, I asked if he'd do the same to a child who stole an ice cream but he just called me a cow and told me to f*** off.

'I'm just so shocked, tourists sometimes kick out at the seagulls but this is the worst I've ever seen.'

A fish and chip shop owner who didn't want to be named served the man the meal.

He said: 'I just remember the guy was really rude, his wife seemed lovely but he was just demanding and said he needed to drive back to Yorkshire as soon as he could.

'He ordered a fish teacake which I think is a northern thing, he just wanted it in a roll.

'I think people here are really shocked by what he did, you don't do that to a seagull.'

But Jonny, from Bradford, Yorkshire, tried to defend his behaviour insisting he only punched it once and saying: 'People are making out I've just kicked the sh*t out of a f*****g toddler and treated it like a football.

'This is a massive gross overreaction. A lot of seagulls swooped down and stole my f*****g fish butty. So I f*****g knocked one out. That was it.

'People on social media. If they were so concerned they should have reported it to the police. F*****g d***heads.

And his admission on social media was condemned by followers with one saying: 'He doesn't even feel bad about it. He killed an animal.'

Another posted: 'If a bird took my fish or pasty I would just accept the bird won, fair play, but punching it in the head is vile.'

His X account 'JonnyUtd' has been accused of posting 'support for terrorist groups and antisemitism' by Jewish investigative group 'Gnasher Jew'.

The group also found posts supporting the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and referring to Zionist Jews as 'parasites [that] need to be isolated in all walks of life in our society' and calling for them to be harmed.

The account also repeatedly accuses Israel of animal cruelty.

In one post he writes 'Not even animals are safe around the IOF (Israel Occupying Force). If you ain't a satanic Zionist you are fair game in their sick mind!'

In another post appearing to show video of a Palestinian feeding cats in Gaza alongside footage of an Israeli kicking one he adds: 'They don't even treat animals with kindness, we must stop calling Zionists animals, it's disrespectful to animals, I'm being serious. They are poisonous bacteria.'

In another message replying to a now deleted post he says: 'Wants to kill those who kill innocent animals. Hero.'

A spokesperson for the Devon and Cornwall Police said they are investigating and urged anybody who witnessed the incident, or who has relevant footage, to get in touch.