PETA barbecues 'a baby' in confronting Easter protest
Lunchtime on the Gold Coast has been interrupted by PETA vegan activists barbecuing a ‘baby’ ahead of the Easter long weekend.
Tourists and locals were left ‘shocked’ according to the animal rights group who set up their display under the iconic Surfers Paradise sign at 11am on Wednesday for an hour.
The stunt featured a 'chef' using tongs and a fork to cook a badly burned human doll and vegetables on a grill.
PETA spokesperson Angela Banovic acknowledged the display was “pretty graphic” and “realistic”, saying it left some people "repulsed".
She argues the protest was a “totally reasonable response” to people believing it’s okay to eat meat when “lambs and human infants have the same capacity to feel pain and suffering”.
Speaking with Yahoo News Australia, Ms Banovic said their aim was to make people reconsider eating lambs.
“To be honest, anyone repulsed by the prospect of chowing down on a human infant should make the connection that eating a baby sheep is equally as appalling,” she said.
Children react to PETA baby barbecue
Although children were seen walking by during the protest, Ms Banovic said they were left more curious than upset.
“The children I spoke to were naturally empathetic, cared about animals, and they don't really want to see them hurt,” she said.
“We had one family that came over to speak to us, and the little boy was drinking a McDonald's drink.
“He was just saying that's a baby (on the barbecue), and lambs are baby sheep.
"(His family) even decided that they were going to eat vegan one day a week."
PETA are well known for their controversial protests, and once barbecued a "dog" in Sydney’s busy Pitt Street Mall.
Last year their US office released a catalogue of clothing made from "human skin".
Ms Banovic said their action is designed to “change some hearts and minds” and encourage people to make “kind decisions about what goes on their plate”.
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