On 20th May 2023, seven vegan activists allegedly held a sit-in at Cail Bruich, a Michelin-star restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland. Police Scotland arrested five of the activists from the animal rights protest group Animal Rising, who occupied reserved seating at the restaurant during dinner service at 7.30 pm. The activists sit at reserved tables and held up placards showing the horrible conditions farm animals endure in factory farms in the UK.
The activists said, “These high-end restaurants are at the centre of our broken relationship with the natural world, with animal suffering and wildlife degradation being sold for extortionate prices.” In a Tweet, the Animal Rising group said, “Police are in attendance at several restaurants and arrests have already been made at Cali Bruich in Glasgow. Like you and I, these people taking action care deeply about animals, nature and the future of our planet. We must stand (or sit!) together. There is strength in numbers when calling out our destructive food system and this action was six cities strong! Animal Rising is growing faster than we could have hoped. Now is the time to join us and be part of historic change.”
This group, which used to be called Animal Rebellion, staged similar protests in other parts of the UK and has been increasing their campaigning activity throughout the country. For instance, earlier in the month, five of its members were charged by South Yorkshire Police with intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance at Doncaster racecourse, just a few days after others did the same at the Grand National where 118 activists were arrested. On 14th February, St. Valentine’s Day, six Animal Rising activists were arrested during a protest at Westminster Bridge in London.
