Actor Joaquin Phoenix wore an Animal Liberation Front jumper at the premiere of the new Joker film last weekend. 

The vegan superstar was pictured at numerous cinemas in L.A. wearing a jumper featuring the animal rights group’s logo. 

The ALF is an organisation which fights to end speciesism, and often hits the headlines for rescuing animals from slaughterhouses, organising veterinary services and setting up sanctuaries. 

Phoenix has been a vegan since he was a young child, and is regularly in the spotlight promoting animal rights. 

In a recent interview in the buildup to the release of Joker, he condemned meat eating, describing farming practices as ‘absurd’ and ‘barbaric’.

“Me and my siblings witnessed fish being killed in a really violent and aggressive way,” he said.

 “It was just absolutely obvious that it was something that we didn’t want to participate in and we didn’t want to support. To me, it just seems obvious. I don’t want to cause pain to another living empathetic creature.”

Earlier this year he spearheaded a global march in which activists paraded through city streets carrying animal carcasses obtained from factory farms.

Last month he featured on a PETA billboard campaign that promoted veganism and condemned speciesism.

He also participated in the Be Fair Be Vegan campaign in Toronto, where he led a protest against animal cruelty at the St George Subway Transit Station that was covered with posters detailing the abuse of animals in the meat industry.

• Read: Joaquin Phoenix takes part in vegan protest on his way to winning award at Toronto Film Festival

What influence can vegan celebrities have on animal rights? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Oli Gross

Oli’s career and personal ethical values both help shape his reporting of the diverse world of veganism. His background is in local newspaper and magazine journalism, and his work has included reporting court cases, celebrity interviews, business analysis, food and drink features and government legislation.

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