GUWAHATI: Ahead of the ‘World Day for the End of Speciesism’, a PETA India volunteer, adorned with “bloodied” makeup and “charred” markings, staged a striking demonstration in Guwahati on Friday, assuming the position of being “barbecued” on a charcoal grill.
This impactful visual aimed to raise awareness that all animals, including humans, are made of flesh and share the capacity to feel pain.
It also highlighted that meat consumption involves consuming the bodies of sentient beings who value their lives.
“Just as most of us would never munch on a human, there’s no reason for anyone to chomp on a chicken,” Utkarsh Garg, PETA India Campaigns Coordinator, said.
“PETA India is urging passers-by disturbed by the idea of a human barbecue to fuel up with fortifying and delicious vegan meals rather than the bodies of mutilated animals,” he said.
The striking visual with the slogan — “Meat is murder, Please go vegan”— aimed to raise awareness about animal cruelty and the benefits of veganism.
“A vegan diet offers a compassionate alternative to the cruelty inflicted on animals in the meat, egg, and dairy industries. These industries subject animals to inhumane conditions, including forced confinement, painful procedures, and slaughter while still conscious,” Garg added.
PETA India emphasized that people who eat vegan reduce their risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and help prevent future pandemics – SARS, bird flu, swine flu, Ebola, and HIV.
“Raising animals for food is a leading cause of water pollution and land degradation, and a United Nations report concluded that a global shift towards vegan eating is necessary to combat the worst effects of the climate catastrophe,” PETA India stated.
PETA India, with its motto “animals are not ours to eat,” opposes speciesism.
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World Day for the End of Speciesism (WoDES) is an annual event that takes place at the end of August to condemn speciesism, which is the discrimination of animals based on their species. The term “speciesism” was coined by psychologist Richard Ryder in 1971.
