Conviction avoided, but vegan activists ordered to pay $100 each for protest chaos
Vegan protesters say they’re ‘not the real criminals’ after facing court over Melbourne protest chaos.
Dozens of vegan activists have been ordered to pay $100 each to a farmed animal rescue sanctuary after their protest caused traffic chaos in Melbourne.
Thirty six members of the Vegan Rising activist group escaped criminal convictions on Monday over their role in a nationwide co-ordinated protest against the meat industry on April 8 this year.
Around 150 protesters armed with vans and signs took part in the Melbourne demonstration, which blocked the intersection at Swanston and Flinders streets and stopped traffic during peak hour for four hours.
The group’s leader on Monday defended the protesters “as passionate individuals” seeking “nothing more than a better world.”
Vegan Rising’s Campaign Director Kristen Leigh said the April demonstration intended to confront the public with the meat industry to inspire change.
“The people who took a stand on April 8 decided that indifference and apathy are simply not an option,” she said.
“The people who took a stand on April 8 seek nothing more than a better world where the vulnerable and the planet we all depend on are protected.”
The vegans stood outside court holdings signs after the hearing.
Ms Leigh acknowledged the group’s tactics were confrontational but said the “real criminals” were those who were profiting from environmental destruction and animal cruelty.
“While the world becomes increasingly deranged … and so-called "leaders" slowly eradicate freedom of press and protest … we must always question who the real criminals are,” she said.
“Those who seek a kind and sustainable planet or those who seek to destroy it while causing immeasurable suffering in the process?”
Vegan Rising’s actions were in co-ordination with nine other nationwide protests, all which encouraged people to watch animal cruelty expose Dominion.
Ms Leigh said the protests resulted in tens of thousands of people viewing the documentary.
“The desperation and passion we expressed on behalf of the animals and our shared planet is real,” she said.
The protesters will return to court on January 13 as part of their court order.
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