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A group of activists hoping to get the issue of animal rights on the table for Christmas have held a protest beside the frozen turkeys in a Belfast supermarket.

Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) paraded through the store sharing their views with shoppers, who simply looked on.

The animals rights protesters then placed a series of RIP notes on frozen birds that will soon be the centre piece of many a Christmas dinner table across Northern Ireland.

A spokesperson for DxE said the aim of the disruption - as they call it - was to get people talking and thinking about how animals are treated so people can eat them.

"At DxE, the aim of our actions is to get the issue of animal rights on the table," said DxE organiser Matthew McKeefry.

"We know that people don’t really want to support violence toward animals, and it's only because the violence is so normalized that it persists.

"Our job is to disrupt and challenge what is considered normal."

The teenager said he got involved with DxE as an organiser in September 2016 because he's a firm believer that we are all animals, and that we all deserve freedom.

"Our message is a message of peace, justice and liberation for all," he added.

"DxE's aim is total animal liberation within one generation. We want every animal to be safe, happy and free because in all the ways that matter, we're all the same.

"We recognise our society is being influenced by the system of speciesism so we know that human people aren't intentionally supporting violence against animals.

"When they find out about the violence that is inflicted upon nonhuman animals, some people get angry, some get sad and some people there and then decide to join the movement for animal liberation.

"Taking action for animals is the best thing someone could do for them and at Direct Action Everywhere that's our ask of the public; join the growing movement for animal rights.

"Find a DxE chapter near you and fight for the end of this violence and oppression of animals.

"We're all animals and we all deserve freedom, to live in safety and to be happy," he continued.

"Why would we deny that to nonhuman animals? Just because they weren't born human?

"That's speciesism, an oppressive ideology which DxE challenges head-on.

"When I see videos of people like baby Roselynn, a calf rescued from a dairy farm by DxE activists, run around and play and cuddle with her carers the same way a dog does; I see someone not something.

"She is not property, and it makes me sad to think that in 2017 certain individuals are seen as property.

"We want to end animal agriculture and all other forms of violence to animals. We want to change societal attitudes towards nonhuman animals, not just change individual consumer behaviour.

"We want to empower people to stand up and speak out against speciesism. Someday future generations will look back and wonder why more people didn't do something to actively stop this violence."

Matthew said the group have more actions planned in the run up to Christmas.

But he said they will all be non-violent and they seek only to raise awareness.

"We focus our anger at the system rather than individuals who have just got caught up in it," he added.

"Our actions involve going into grocery stores and restaurants or any other place of violence and bringing the animals' story inside.

"Animal liberation is not a vegan food options issue, it's a social justice issue, and it's time we started to treat it as such.

"Every animal suffering as you read this needs you to disrupt normalised violence and speak out for them. Our ask of you is to join us and take action."

The protest action took place on Saturday (Nov 25) at Sainsbury's Supermarket at Holywood Exchange.

You can find DxE on Facebook here .