VEGAN activists have officially been banned from a sustainable food shop.
Ethical supermarket Hisbe in York Place have put their foot down and said no more to the animal activist group protesting in their premises.
Radical vegan group Direct Action Everywhere stormed the supermarket on Saturday with megaphones and placards saying: “Meat is murder”.
They publicly denounced Hisbe, saying “the supermarket claims to respect animals while profiting from their exploitation and death” and “the hypocrisy and disconnect runs deep in this business.”
Hisbe founders said while they respect the right to protest, the activists went too far this time with their demonstration.
Co-founder Ruth Anslow said: “The vegan activists disapprove of us offering local high-welfare animal products and are demanding that we remove them from our store.
“But we disagree with their views and believe everyone has the right to choose what they eat, in line with their own personal values and preferences.
“We think everyone has the right to demonstrate and we invite healthy discourse on food and farming.
“However, after Saturday they will not be welcome inside the store again because they were so loud, obstructive and intolerant and several of our staff felt intimidated.”
The Hisbe team issued a statement online following the protest which sparked a huge response.
They said the vegan activists were set in their ways thinking that eating an animal was the same as murdering a human, and that they took no notice of the fact that Hisbe only source their food from places where animals can live a wholesome life.
The statement concluded: “Thank you to all our customers who know what we do and have supported us through these protests, meat-eaters, veggies and vegans alike. Anyway, we got to go, we’ve got a shop to run. We’re trying to transform the food industry here.”
Many people online argued vegan activists should be more focused on demonstrating in larger supermarkets or fast food chains rather than a supermarket that is working at reducing its environmental impact significantly.
A Direct Action Everywhere spokesman said: “We do not seek permission to expose the truth and the victims of animal exploitation.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel