On Friday 7th April 2023, Good Friday in the Christian tradition, several Animal Rebellion activists protested in the meat aisles of supermarkets in the UK as part of a county-wide protest about the slaughtering of lambs for Easter. Among them, between 1 pm and 3:30 pm, four vegan activists occupied the meat aisles at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose in the city centre of Canterbury, England.
The activists carried mock Mail on Sunday front pages with mock headlines such as “Nation of Animal Lovers Eat Baby Sheep in Odd Annual Easter Ritual,” or “Plant-Based Future is Key Solution to Climate and Ecological Emergencies.”
Chris Chudley, one of the activists, said to Kent Online: “This year we urgently need to talk about the broken relationship we have with other animals and the natural world. Reforming this is critical if we are all to come together and build a better world. This Easter we are asking people to fully embrace their animal-loving values by supporting a Plant-Based Future. Unfortunately, we currently live in contradiction of these values by eating animals, but never more so than at Easter.”
Other activists did the same in Newcastle, Norwich and Birmingham, where several supermarkets were also briefly occupied.
In a press release, Animal Rebellion said: “In a coordinated mass action, individuals from the climate and animal group Animal Rebellion occupied the supermarket meat aisles of Sainsbury’s and Waitrose in Canterbury. Several similar actions have also taken place across the UK. Animal Rebellion is urging wholesale governmental and societal support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.”
