vegan pig protest

Vegan protestors eat fake human meat in Toronto

At least two dozen animal rights activists took to the streets of Toronto this weekend with a disturbing, yet incredibly powerful message: There's no such thing as "humane" meat.

Direct Action Everywhere Toronto, the local arm of an international grassroots activism network, staged a series of disruptions around Yorkville on Saturday dressed in red shirts and, in the case of some participants, giant pig heads.

The goal was to make people imagine that the tables were turned — that people were the ones on dinner plates and pigs shopped at Whole Foods for "organic, locally-raised" human meat.

If even thinking about that makes you feel sick, well, that's the point.

To really drive the message home, activists wearing pig heads were seated at tables both within Whole Foods and right outside the Hazelton Hotel.

In both cases, a waiter (also dressed as a pig) brought the ritzy pig couple a fake, bloody-looking human face on a silver platter.

Protesters also marched through the high-end grocery store, which has taken heat from PETA for boasting about its animal welfare practices, and around the streets of Yorkville.

They held up signs with photos of animal faces and phrases like "I need your voice," "it's not food, it's violence," and "their bodies. not ours."

"Don't buy the humane lie. There is no humane way to kill someone who doesn't want to die," wrote organizer Jenny Henry on Facebook about DxE's demonstration.

"Take their place for just one minute, and imagine the tables were turned."

Lead photo by

Jenny Henry


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