May 31, 2016

Anti-vegan protesters throw hunks of meat at patrons of the bohemian Kiwi Café in Tbilisi, Georgia.

"Witnesses writing on social media said that customers at the cafe, who were watching an animated science fiction sitcom called 'Rick and Morty,' felt intimidated by the men, who refused to leave. The cafe referred to the attackers, some of whom wore sausages around their necks, as anti-vegan 'extremists.”

The NYT reports, noting that "[t]hroughout Europe, vegan cafes have become synonymous with the counterculture."

From the café's Facebook page: “They pulled out some grilled meat, sausages, fish and started eating them and throwing them at us, and finally they started to smoke... They were just trying to provoke our friends and disrespect us.”

32 comments:

Gusty Winds said...

Now do you see the problems created when sausages enter a room where there are supposed to be no sausages allowed?

Brando said...

I consider myself an anti-vegan, but it never occurred to me to strike back--this makes me think of the counterprotest by hard-hats in 1970 when the NYSE lowered the flag to half mast for the Kent State dead.

The counter-counterculture is rising! On the downside if we get our way, beef prices will go up. Maybe I need to form the counter-counter-counterculture and promote more weed-eating.

Expat(ish) said...

@Gusty - You win the Laslo award today. And the internet.

-XC

n.n said...

Anthropophobic. Humans are omnivores.

I wonder how many vegans are Planners.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

They were just trying to... disrespect us.

I'm pretty sure they could disrespect you without even trying.

Balfegor said...

On the one hand, I am sympathetic to efforts to defend against encroaching Westernisation. On the other, I despise this style of protest, whether it's activists shouting at people in a library, activists lying down to obstruct traffic, activists acting like toddlers because a speaker says something they don't like, activists throwing paint at peoples' fur coats, or activists throwing meat at vegans. This is not the act of a civilised people.

I suppose it's good the meat was apparently cooked, though.

dwick said...

Of course, nary a mention of the naked vegans staging a 'human meat' protest in Barcelona last week - either in NYT or here by Althouse.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/23/vegans-stage-human-meat-protest-in-barcelona/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/animal-rights-protest-spain-vegan-fake-blood-activists-a7043491.html

https://www.rt.com/in-motion/344121-vegans-protest-spain-barcelona/

I'm guessing there's a back-story to this anti-vegan protest in Georgia - and if there is it's a sure bet we'll never read about it in NYT.

YoungHegelian said...

I saw this story on Meat the Press, the carnivore's go-to news source.

Rae said...

I've frequently felt like throwing fistfuls of bratwurst at vegans as they spread their hateful ideology. I have thus far restrained myself.


It's a burden.

Balfegor said...

Re: dwick:

I'm guessing there's a back-story to this anti-vegan protest in Georgia - and if there is it's a sure bet we'll never read about it in NYT.

I'm sure there is, but unless it involves vegans obstructing people from slaughtering beasts or eating their flesh, I feel pretty comfortable saying the carnivorous protesters here are in the wrong.

Tibore said...

Man, it'll be a bitch when the vegans fight back. Can you imagine getting smacked upside the head with a thrown gourd? Bet it'd hurt way more than getting slapped with a steak.

Tibore said...

"The cafe referred to the attackers, some of whom wore sausages around their necks, as anti-vegan “extremists.”"

Ok, if that's true, that's hilarious. But that sounds so ridiculous...

Man, I hope that's true. Because if it is, I just found my Halloween costume this year. :D

dwick said...

Re: Balfegor

"I'm sure there is, but unless it involves vegans obstructing people from slaughtering beasts or eating their flesh, I feel pretty comfortable saying the carnivorous protesters here are in the wrong."

Not defending protesters (on either side) - just noting stories like this more often than not are slanted to appeal to a particular audience with no attempt to report full context (or omitting it purposely)

Paddy O said...

A real life version of "If meat eaters acted like Vegans".

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HoodlumDoodlum said...

Rick & Morty is an animated comedy, run as part of "Adult Swim" on the Cartoon Network.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Balfegor said...On the other, I despise this style of protest, whether it's activists shouting at people in a library, activists lying down to obstruct traffic,

Funny you should mention that, Balfegor: Dartmouth Aluni Relations rules BLM library distruption broke no rules!

So you may think those actions are "not [those] of a civilised people" but a fancy University like Dartmouth apparently doesn't think they're out of bounds, officially! I have a sneaking suspicion the content of the speech played a part in that judgement...but that's probably just my paranoia.

fivewheels said...

"I despise this style of protest"

Me too. It's boorish, juvenile, accomplishes nothing, and yet I'm reasonably sure the victims probably deserved it, in a hoist-on-their-petard way. With some exceptions, I'd bet those were the types who throw blood on innocent coats, etc.

If a taste of their own medicine is the route to getting EVERYONE to stop acting that way, let the sausage fly. I mean these protesters had to be doing it satirically, right? Had to be.

Dr Weevil said...

They could have achieved delicious irony and ultimate meta (metapocalypse?) if the grilled meat and sausages thrown at the Kiwi Cafe had been made from actual kiwis. (Kiwi birds, I mean, not human New Zealanders: I'm very far from a vegan, but it is possible to go too far in that direction.)

DUSTER said...

Im sure this won't be their last meating.

Joe said...

as for the "Human Meat" protests: should there be "Human Plant" protests, with humans shown as shredded plants?

Joe said...

This calls for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0O_VYcsIk8

Deb said...

A waste of good meat.

Wilbur said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
oleh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
oleh said...

Pass the butter.

Crimso said...

"They pulled out some grilled meat, sausages, fish and started eating them and throwing them at us, and finally they started to smoke"

I don't know, but that sure struck me as a Monty Python line.

ddh said...

Georgia is famous for its fresh fruits and vegetables, but it does seem to be one of the least likely countries for meat eaters to feel oppressed, much less feel a need to strike back in such a manner at overbearing vegans.

ddh said...

Not Georgia, but similar:

Aunt Voula: "What do you mean he don't eat no meat?"
[The entire room stops in shocked silence.]
Aunt Voula: "Oh, that's okay. I make lamb."

Birkel said...

Remember, Leftists have won the culture wars and the other side should just give up.

Quaestor said...

Have you ever been a dinner guest in a vegan household? I've been twice. Each time I was not offered any meat or animal products, not even cheese (it's the rennet, dontcha know). When I have entertained them I have made sure to accommodate their prejudices, but they feel no such obligation to me.

damikesc said...

"They ate meat and it offended us/"

Tough shit. I'm glad they threw the meat at these pathetic whiners.

Funny you should mention that, Balfegor: Dartmouth Aluni Relations rules BLM library distruption broke no rules!

So you may think those actions are "not [those] of a civilised people" but a fancy University like Dartmouth apparently doesn't think they're out of bounds, officially! I have a sneaking suspicion the content of the speech played a part in that judgement...but that's probably just my paranoia.


I wonder --- can a suit be brought against an institution that refuses to abide by the rules they set up? Wouldn't it be violation of an implied contract at the very least? School says this behavior is unacceptable, then somebody does it and they say "Well, it's not THAT unacceptable?"

What they need are conservative students doing the exact same thing and THEN suing for unequal treatment since you KNOW they wouldn't be viewed the same.

When I have entertained them I have made sure to accommodate their prejudices, but they feel no such obligation to me.

Yeah, manners seems to be a one-way street. I wouldn't entertain their prejudices. I know they wouldn't entertain mine. When visiting them, I'd abide by their rules.