The Kanakakunnu gates became a venue for a protest against meat-eating by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on Friday morning.
Though there was none of the sloganeering that usually accompanies protests, the message sent across was loud and clear - empathy for all animals.
A charcoal grill was set up, and amid the make-believe flames lay a PETA supporter dressed in a red ‘bloodied’ costume to depict meat being barbecued. Hanging from the grill was a board that read ‘Meat is murder.’
Vegan month
The ‘human barbecue’ visual was intended to shock people into turning to a vegan diet instead of one where animals became food ahead of International Meatless Day observance on Saturday.
“The entire month of November is vegan month. But we want to encourage people to eat vegan food not just on a single day but throughout the year to protect their health, environment, and animals,” said Ayushi Sharma, PETA campaign assistant. Ayushi said PETA wanted to tell people that all living beings were the same - made of flesh, bone, and blood. Animals too had a right to live, just as humans, and felt pain and other emotions, and killing them was not an option.
“By making one choice of going vegan, we are saving the environment, animals, and protecting our health.”
Inhumane treatment
PETA whose motto reads, in part, that ‘animals are not ours to eat,’ said in a statement here that animals used for food were treated in an inhumane manner while being taken to slaughterhouses.
At the slaughterhouses, they were killed in full view of one another, and often dismembered and skinned while still conscious.
Animal-derived food had been linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
Not only this, raising animals for food to feed man’s greed was affecting the environment, the statement said.
