Thompson: Stuff animal rights activists say
Each year, the Animal Agriculture Alliance sends representatives to several prominent animal rights conferences. Our objective in doing so is to gain insights into the strategies and tactics that will be used against the animal agriculture industry so we can inform our members and work proactively.
Having eyes and ears at these events also allows us to capture the thoughts and opinions of animal rights leaders in their own words, which helps to explain their agenda to key stakeholders like the mainstream media and restaurant/retail/foodservice brands. Here some of the "greatest hits" from speakers at this year's conferences.
- "We're preying on emotions to push our vegan agenda. We do not give our consent to enslave meat, we do not give our consent to murder." - Simone Reyes, television personality
- "We cannot lose if we keep our eyes on the prize and are relentless in our fight for animals." - David Coman-Hidy, executive director, The Humane League. Also from Coman-Hidy regarding pressuring brands and companies: "When it is time to launch the campaign, find a vulnerable target, prepare everything for at least a few weeks and then assemble an overwhelming force to utilize from day one. The crueler it is, the quicker the fight is over."
- "All of these events [agricultural fairs, eating contests, political rallies] need to be interrupted and shut down." - Zach Groff, organizer, Direct Action Everywhere
- "Humane meat? There is no such thing." - Mike Wolf, investigator, Compassion Over Killing. Wolf also said: "First, reduce the number of chickens you eat, it will save the most animals in the long run."
- "Our vision is to liberate animals, raise human consciousness, create vegan communities, have animal blessings, have animal and world religion, have vegan spiritual retreats and encourage people of faith to go vegan." - Lisa Levinson, sustainable activism campaign director, In Defense of Animals
- "We terrify them - let's remind them why." - Ryan Shapiro, activist and doctoral candidate, comparing the meat industry to the Nazi regime. Shapiro also said all men need to get a vasectomy and "we need to decrease our population."
- "If we want to put an end to factory farming, we have to reduce the amount of meat being eaten." - Kristie Middleton, senior director, food policy, Humane Society of the United States
- "We are trying to destroy animal agriculture." - Wayne Hsiung, founder, Direct Action Everywhere. Hsiung also said, "Animal liberation is already happening."
- "There's a lot of us, we're angry, and we're gonna win." Kevin Kjonaas, founder of Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC) USA. Kjonaas was imprisoned in 2006 for harassment, but told attendees not to let that possibility limit their actions - "I survived the consequences and so can you."
These statements speak for themselves, so I don't have much to add. If reading them makes you angry or upset, channel that energy into taking action to secure the future of animal agriculture. These individuals are constantly working to undermine our industry, and we cannot allow their statements and claims to go unchecked with the media, our customers or our end consumers.