Vegan activists wearing chicken masks stormed a Nando’s restaurant to show diners videos of animal slaughterhouses.

The demonstration took place in Brighton, UK where there have been a string of events in recent months – including one in which a protester was arrested for smearing fake blood across a McDonald’s floor.

The Occupy Nando’s protest involved ten activists who presented laptops to customers, revealing an investigation made by animal welfare group Surge.

During the protest, a member of the group announced: “A chicken is an individual. A living, thinking, feeling being. A chicken can feel distress, and recognise stress in others.

“A chicken can feel empathy for others too. Shouldn’t we, as human beings, show empathy for these suffering individuals?”

The group reported that staff ignored them and continued to serve, while some customers laughed at their protest.

• Read: Disturbing undercover slaughterhouse footage released amid calls for high-speed farming ban

But others did watch the videos which aimed to reveal the truth behind the meat industry.

“The aim of the action was to disrupt the customer’s meals and to draw attention to the violence and suffering that went into it,” a spokesman for the group said.

“We know that people don’t like to be exposed to the truth of their food, especially while they are eating it, but what these animals go through is unacceptable and we cannot ignore that so many innocent beings are suffering this very second.”

• Read: Vegan activists arrested after storming McDonald’s wearing pig masks and smearing blood across the floor

What do you think of this protest? Share your thoughts in the comments 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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