Vegan Activist Tash Peterson slammed for Easter ‘holocaust’ demonstration

A prominent Jewish leader has slammed a notorious activist who used the word “holocaust” to describe the treatment of dairy cows in her campaign against Easter.

A controversial vegan activist has been slammed by one of the nation’s most prominent Jewish leaders after using the term “holocaust” to describe the treatment of animals in the dairy industry over Easter.

Activist Tash Peterson, who is known for her controversial protests, shared a recent video on her Instagram page comparing the dairy industry to the genocide of Jews during World War II.

In the video, as she stands in front of a display of Easter eggs, Ms Peterson can be seen wearing a T-shirt with the words “Eat pussy, not animals” and holding a sign that reads “Don’t celebrate Easter with a holocaust”.

Vegan activist Tash Peterson has sparked outrage on social media after using the term holocaust to describe the treatment of animals in the dairy industry. Picture: Instagram

Picture: Instagram

The video shows shoppers seemingly unfazed by her demonstration as she plays audio of cows shrieking in pain through a speaker.

“Are you celebrating Easter with a holocaust?” she asks the shoppers.

“In order for you to get your dairy milk Easter eggs, a mother was raped and had her babies kidnapped from her and murdered if they were born male.

“This is the largest holocaust in history.”

She captioned the video with the message: “If you think the Holocaust was bad, wait till you see what we do to animals.”

Prominent Jewish leader Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said Ms Peterson was “poisoning” the debate around veganism and demanded an apology.

“Shame on you Tash Peterson for playing the Holocaust card. Let’s get something clear: to compare the treatment of animals to the systematic extermination of six million Jews and millions of others is beyond shameful and crosses so many red lines I stopped counting,” Dr Abramovich said in a statement to news.com.au.

“To cheaply and perversely exploit the gassing of men, women, and children in order to promote a cause takes the abuse of the Holocaust to a new low and poisons an important debate that demands civility and respect.

“The victims, survivors and the Diggers who lost their lives to defeat this evil regime deserve better. While Ms Peterson is entitled to express her views, I ask that she leaves the memory of the victims and the survivors who have suffered enough out of her campaign. Stop manipulating Hitler’s evil crimes in order to advance your opposition to the dairy industry.”

Social media users, too, slammed the activist for her use of the term.

“You’re correct but using the word holocaust probably loses you some people who may otherwise support,” one Instagram user wrote.

“Yes it is genocide, but can we not compare two tragic events? it’s insensitive to both parties,” another said.

Tash Peterson has used the word ‘holocaust’ in previous demonstrations.

Tash Peterson during a protest at the Perth Royal Show. Credit: Facebook

Others defended Ms Peterson’s use of the term, arguing that it was a legitimate comparison. One user commented: “How can you look at those poor innocent beings and feel nothing? They feel pain just like you and me. I’m beginning to think some people are just heartless to this issue in a bold way.”

Dr Abramovich said comparisons to the Holocaust were “never valid” as they “cheapen and drain this unparalleled event of its true horrors”.

“Acts like this distort young people’s understanding of an inhuman period of history,” he said.

“Such outrageous and trivial equations demean the indescribable suffering and murder of so many and are historically inaccurate and extreme. By employing this ugly analogy, Tash Peterson portrays an ignorance of what really happened in Nazi Germany. It’s time for her to apologise for the hurt she has caused and to stop using this immoral tactic.”

Peterson often uses the term “holocaust” to describe the industrial treatment of animals for produce during demonstrations.

She was wearing a shirt which read “end the animal holocaust” as she was arrested and charged with trespassing and obstructing a police officer after disrupting the Perth Royal Show in September 2022.

For that, she was released on bail and is due to appear in court in May.

— with staff writers

Originally published as Vegan Activist Tash Peterson slammed for Easter ‘holocaust’ demonstration