Vegan protesters at Queen Victoria Market claim meat eating will trigger future pandemics

A group of vegan protesters at the Queen Victoria Market have bizarrely claimed eating animals could cause future pandemics.

Protesters at Queen Victoria Market gathered at Queen Victoria Market.

A group of vegan activists who gathered outside the Queen Victoria Market claiming eating animals would lead to future pandemics has been slammed by popular butchers at the iconic venue.

Ten protesters from the Vegan Rising group gathered outside the market meat hall on Saturday morning.

Wearing white biohazard suits and holding large banners saying “Caution!! Future pandemic site” and “COVID-19 is a dress rehearsal for a real killer plague like influenza”, the mob called for Queen Victoria to be turned into a “plant-based mecca”.

But their actions were criticised by poultry and meat traders at the venue, saying their claims were “unfounded” and “madness”.

Terry, a butcher, labelled the protesters’ behaviour as “ridiculous”, which included a man dressed in a white apron covered in fake blood stains as he cut fake flesh from a woman covered in red paint to symbolise blood while she was suspended from scaffold.

“It’s hypocritical. Don’t preach to us. If you don’t want to eat (meat) don’t eat it,” Terry said, who asked not to use his surname.

“Don’t preach to people what they want to do. Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. That’s virtually what it is.

Wearing white biohazard suits, the group held large banners.

“If I want to eat meat I’ll eat meat.

“Half the make-up they’ve got on is probably tested on animals.

“How did they get here?” he said pointing to cars which may not be environmentally-friendly.

Another butcher Harry Tsatsimas of Sarcee Quality Meats, said he wasn’t too fazed by the activists but questioned their claims that eating animals was the leading cause of pandemics.

“I would like to know what their plan is?” he said.

“What’s their principle? Imagine eating a plant-tasting meat.”

But he added the gathering had a right to free speech and “as long as it doesn’t affect my livelihood, that’s the main thing”.

A fishmonger said: “People have been eating meat their whole lives. If you don’t want to eat it, don’t impose it on other people.”

The rally was peaceful and police were not present however some passers-by verbally clashed with protesters after disputing their claims.

“The limbs are a bit offensive and nothing to do with meat. We get families here. They’re trying to cripple the market,” said Judy Coyle of Mordialloc.

“It’s absolutely disgusting. If you had children walking past and had to explain the foot and arm it’s very hard,” she said after seeing a child crying.

Another labelled the behaviour as “self-indulgent exhibitionists”.

Vegan Rising’s Melbourne group is joining a global day of action that will demand a new food system and raise awareness on the leading cause of new and emerging infectious diseases.

“Today we join 56 cities across 15 different countries who are standing up and demanding action from government, corporations and individuals to make the urgent structural and lifestyle changes needed to prevent avoidable future pandemics” said Vegan Rising director Kristin Leigh.

The group shut down the city centre in 2019 and protested outside the meat hall of the QVM earlier this year, filling the aisles wearing biohazard suits and T-shirts that listed all the problems caused by human exploitation of other animals.