Two men who dined on raw dead squirrels at a London vegan food market in a disturbing protest against veganism have been convicted of public order offences and fined.

The men, Deonisy Khlebnikov, 22, and Gatis Lagzdins, 29, chowed down on the uncooked squirrels at the Soho Vegan Food Market on March 30.

At the City of London Magistrates’ Court in June, the squirrel-eating duo denied that their behavior had been disorderly and likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress – but the pair were found guilty on Monday.

Warning: Some viewers may find this footage disturbing

Natalie Clines, senior prosecutor for the Crown Protection Service (CPS), said Khlebnikov and Lagzdins claimed they were anti-veganism and were “raising awareness about the dangers of not eating meat.”

Clines said the men had engaged in “disgusting and unnecessary behaviour” despite requests to stop, “including from a parent whose child was upset by their actions.” The CPS, she said, determined that they had therefore “planned and intended to cause distress to the public.”

Khlebnikov was fined £200 while Lagzdins was fined £400. Lagzdins had posted videos of similarly disturbing stunts on YouTube as part of his so-called anti-vegan activism.

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Soho Vegan Market said in a statement that it was created so that people, vegan and otherwise, could try “delicious and different plant-based food.” Needless to say, dead squirrels are not part of its culinary offerings.

The market said it did not condone the actions of the “known anti-Vegan YouTuber” and were glad to see the men suffer consequences for their actions.

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