Scuffle erupts in Coles after vegan protestors blame bushfires on meat-eaters
A vegan’s protest in a Perth supermarket has ended in a scuffle with a store manager after she refused to leave.
Tash Peterson live-streamed her staged protests at different Woolworths and Coles locations around the Western Australian capitol to Facebook on Friday.
She can be seen standing in the meat section with a face mask and a stuffed lamb while holding a sign reading “Australia is on fire. Meat, dairy and eggs is the fuel. Watch Cowspiracy.”
During the protest, a friend filmed and played a loud siren while a male voice spoke about the environmental impacts of eating animal products.
At one Coles location, a store manager asked Ms Peterson to leave the store and tried to block her sign.
After several attempts, the store manager grabbed the sign and the two had a brief physical alteration.
Ms Peterson remained silent during the incident but her friend accused the store manager of assault.
“I’m 30 centimetres away from you,” the store manager can be heard saying as the two protestors are escorted from the store.
Ms Peterson said on Facebook one of the reasons behind her protest was to make a statement against the Australia Day tradition of eating lamb.
“On a day associated with violence and oppression, Australians have made a tradition of slaughtering millions of lambs every year,” she posted.
Ms Peterson also said the production of meat and other animal products was one of the causes of the current catastrophic bushfire season.
“Animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change, deforestation, wildlife extinction and a majority of other environmental catastrophes,” she wrote.
“We as a nation are devastated by the loss of millions of wildlife, but turn a blind eye to the half a billion farmed animals who are murdered every year in Australia alone,” she added.
Mr Peterson’s Facebook page is filled with videos of her previous protests.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted Coles and Woolworths for comment.
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