An animal rights group is claiming victory after they harassed a small butcher shop in Berkeley into putting up a sign saying animals had a right to live.
Direct Action Everywhere regularly protested in front of the Local Butcher Shop in the California city for four months.
Protesters dressed themselves in fake blood and bound themselves up in plastic wrap as if they were sides of meat. Customers were routinely lectured as they went into the shop.
The protesters told the shop owners they would stop if a sign was posted in the window,
The sign says “Attention: Animals lives are their right. Killing them is violent and unjust, no matter how it’s done.”
The Local Butcher Shop began in 2011, buying whole animals to butcher from local farms and is owned by the husband and wife team of Aaron and Monica Rocchino.
“To be threatened and forced to abide by their beliefs just makes me sad,” Monica Rocchino told The Guardian. “Their tactics are really extremist … This is ethical extortion.”
Products sold by the butcher shop include: deli meats, sausage, stews, dog food and a sandwich of the day. Classes are held at the shop regularly to talk about various butchering techniques like sausage making or half hog butchery demos.
