‘Pork lover’ bus sparks vegan protest in city centre

Vegan activists demonstrate outside a bus promoting Spanish pork. Photo: Laura Ellen Laura Ellen

A bright pink bus emblazoned with the words “become a pork lover” has prompted a vegan protest in Norwich city centre.

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A 'pork lover' bus in Norwich sparked vegan protests. Photo: Jess Long A 'pork lover' bus in Norwich sparked vegan protests. Photo: Jess Long

The bus, part of the Pork Lovers Tour, parked up on the Haymarket on Saturday and Sunday to promote Spanish pork.

But vegan activists used chalk to write messages of protest around the roadshow highlighting the conditions of slaughterhouses.

One message read: “Would you take your child to a slaughterhouse?”

And recordings of inside slaughterhouses was being played.

A 'pork lover' bus in Norwich sparked vegan protests. Photo: Jess Long A 'pork lover' bus in Norwich sparked vegan protests. Photo: Jess Long

One passerby said she heard a child ask their mother: “Mummy what’s that sound?”

The Norwich stop was just the latest on the Pork Lovers Tour, which has already visited Bristol, Manchester and Sheffield.

Shoppers are invited on board to taste freebies, learn pork cooking techniques, and receive nutrition advice.

Activities include workshops, cooking presentations and Spanish ham slicing demonstrations.

Something weird going on in Norwich. Big bus on gentleman's walk advertising pork and inviting people in. Some big Spanish pork thing. Surrounded by angry vegans — Matt (@26mxw) July 21, 2018

Laura Ellen, 21, one of the activists, said: “It is this big pink truck, it’s a very friendly looking vehicle, it’s very inviting, but part of the process is left out of what they’re showing everyone.

“The fact that six-month-old pigs are gassed to death and have their throats slit. They can live up to 20 years old so it’s like killing a baby, scientists say they are of similar intelligence to a three-year-old child. A three-year-old child would know if they were going to die and so do these pigs, we’ve seen videos of inside these chambers.”

As well as the chalked messages, Miss Ellen said the activists were giving out leaflets and had handmade signs.

They were also playing sounds from inside a slaughterhouse, which Miss Ellen admitted had caused some distress.

What the bloody hell is this monstrosity in #Norwich city centre today, @NorwichCC ??? Advertising pork. Really uncomfortable atmosphere with protestors surrounding. The smell of pork and sound of recordings of animal slaughter echoing round Gentleman's Walk. Weird choice. pic.twitter.com/yIC4TSHUSJ — Betty #FBPE (@thebettstar) July 21, 2018

She said: “People have been coming up to us today saying their children have been scared but there are six-month-old babies being put in gas chambers. But we’re not here to intimidate anyone, we’re just saying there’s a big part of this process missed out.”

She added reception on the street had been “mixed”.

She said: “On the good side we’ve had people come up to us and say they have gone vegan on the spot after talking to us. I think if you give the facts to people, because we don’t have to lie to anyone.”

But on the other side Miss Ellen said her partner was punched while chalking messages on the concrete last night, leaving him with a chipped tooth and a black eye.

I'm so confused with Norwich today just went out for some food went to gentleman's walk there's chalk all over the ground about killing animals and then a lorry painted as a pig talking about loving pork and a bloody vegan protest I just ate sausages ffs — Moll (@mmollyellis) July 21, 2018

“A lady came up to me today and nearly hit me,” she added.

“But what we’ve got here is peaceful messages.”