Calais, France has cancelled a vegan festival, scheduled for Sept. 8, to “guarantee public safety” and protect the organizers, who claim they have been threatened by “hunters and farmers.”
The Mayor’s office says it had become aware of a “series of operations aimed at stirring up trouble and disrupting public order,” adding that the decision was not related to the theme of the festival, which has been popular in its two previous appearances.
On the other side, vegans claim the cancellation took place “because the hunters and farmers have joined forces to make very clear threats about what would happen if the event went ahead.”
There have been increasing conflicts between vegans and non-vegans in France, where non-meat-eating has only recently become popular. Over the past year, a number of butcher shops were vandalized and sprayed with fake blood; a butcher’s association petitioned the Interior Minister for protection from vegans. Last year, a vegan activist was prosecuted for labeling a butcher killed by a terrorist attack a murderer.
Photo: Last year’s festival
