'National day of action' sees Animal Rebellion target restaurants in Newcastle and London
The group, which has staged several similar protests in the last month, is calling for a plant-based food system and mass-rewilding and appears to be targeting high-end restaurants that do not cater for vegan diners.
Nine supporters of Animal Rebellion entered the Michelin-starred House of Tides on Saturday evening (17 December) and occupied tables reserved for customers and holding ‘mock menus’ outlining the group’s core demands stylised as a starter, main and dessert.
Another eight protesters targeted the two Michelin star Dinner by Heston Blumenthal restaurant in London Knightsbridge on the same evening and staged a similar demonstration.
A third, unknown restaurant in Birmingham was also set to be targeted, according to the group, but it would appear that protesters failed to follow through on their planned action.
“We are targeting these venues in sustained action as they are symbolic of a broken system,” says Robert Gordon, a former animal care assistant who took part in the protest at House of Tides.
“Households in the North East have the lowest disposable income when compared to other regions in the UK. Yet House of Tides continues to profit off a wealthy minority by serving meat, dairy, and fish at the expense of our natural world.
“Instead, luxury restaurants like these should be leading by example and transitioning to serving sustainable, plant-based foods. A plant-based food system could eliminate the suffering of the one billion farmed animals, and many more fish, killed in the UK each year. This would also free-up space for crucial rewilding to draw-down carbon from the atmosphere and restore our countryside, coasts, and precious wildlife.”
It is understood protesters at both restaurants were ejected soon after entering, with police attending the demonstration at House of Tides.
Animal Rebellion claims the protests will end when the Government 'takes meaningful action to prevent climate breakdown and animal suffering'.
The group has previously targeted Gordon Ramsay’s three Michelin Star flagship restaurant in Chelsea, as well as Simon Martin's Michelin-starred Manchester restaurant Mana and Salt Bae’s Nusr-Et steakhouse in Knightsbridge.
