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A Bath resident has criticised environmental activist group Animal Rebellion for its alleged demands to make veganism compulsory.

Peter Burns wrote in this week's Bath Chronicle, published on October 24, that vegans have 'no right' to try and ban meat, fish or dairy products for society.

He said that Animal Rebellion was the 'even uglier sister' of Extinction Rebellion.

Mr Burns added that if people were told to make veganism compulsory there would be 'rioting' on the streets and the cost of this would make the financial crisis (2007-8) look like a 'slight blip'.

These are the views of Mr Burns and not Bath.Live or the paper.

The letter reads: "Can anyone envisage a situation where the British Parliament would vote to make veganism compulsory?

"This is what is being asked of them by an even uglier sister of Extinction Rebellion, Animal Rebellion.

"People accept rationing in wartime but Animal Rebellion are extreme vegans who have seen Extinction Rebellion 'getting away' with it and jumped on the climate change bandwagon.

"No one objects to veganism if that is their way of life but they have no right to ban meat, fish or dairy products for the rest of us.

"What a strange world it would be with just plant-based food.

"I wonder what 'carnivorous' Extinction Rebellion members think of their new ugly sister spoiling their way of life?

"Or that the radicals of the Labour party have now stolen XR's thunder as the extremists of climate change by voting at their annual conference to have net-zero by 2030.

"This, despite the wiser heads of the GMB (General, Municipal, Boilmakers) union telling them it would mean the confiscation of all petrol-fuelled cars, the state rationing of meat, limiting families to one foreign flight every five years and the closure of whole industries.

"Even Greenpeace says this would be difficult to achieve.

"Would Labour put this to the people? Of course they wouldn't!

"And Extinction Rebellion wouldn't dare to. There would be wholesale rioting on the streets. The cost alone would make the banking crash look like a slight blip."

What do you think? Have your say in our poll below.

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About Animal Rebellion:

Animal Rebellion branched out from Extinction Rebellion and was created to 'broaden society's conservation around climate change' by highlighting the 'destructive role played by the animal farming and fishing industries'.

On Animal Rebellion's website, it states: "Animal Rebellion is a mass movement of volunteers from all walks of life that calls for a transition to a just, sustainable plant-based food system, and an end to the animal farming and fishing industries.

"We recognise that we cannot end the climate emergency without first ending the animal emergency: only by transitioning to a plant-based food system can we halt mass extinction, minimise the risk of climate breakdown and prevent social collapse.

"We advocate in solidarity with animals, insisting that a sustainable world should be one where individuals of all species can flourish, free from exploitation."

Animal Rebellion has three demands:

The Government must recognise that animal farming and fishing industries are 'leading contributors of climate breakdown and ecological collapse'. That it must end animal farming and fishing industries. Transition to a 'just, sustainable plant-based food system'.

Got a view on this or another local news story? Email richard.mills@reachplc.com.

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