France
Albi (France), 22 Jan 2011
In Albi we organized an event for the World Week for the Abolition of Meat slightly ahead of time as we joined Animal Amnistie in Toulouse for another action on January, 29th.
Despite poor weather conditions fellow activists from Toulouse joined us for a leafleting and awareness event.
Some livestock producers came to get information while others held conversations that didn't make any sense.
Animal Libre : http://animal.libre.over-blog.com/
Bayonne (France), 29 Jan 2011
A vegan meal was organized by the vegan group of the Basque Country in Bayonne.
25 people shared a vegan lunch in a small and cosy café; which was a pleasant surprise for our very first event.
Some people were interested in the documentation about animal exploitation.
Media coverage
Photograph: Collectif Végétalien Pays Basque
Organization: Collectif Végétalien Pays Basque
Contact: Collectif Végétalien Pays Basque
Charleville-Mézières (France), 29 Jan 2011
Two new Belgian activists drove 150 km both ways to come to support us and we plan to organize other events together both in Belgium and in France.
Clermont-Ferrand (France), 29 Jan 2011
We organized two actions on 29 and 30 January for the World Week for the Abolition of Meat.
We held information stalls in order to raise public awareness about animal rights and about the issue of the abolition of meat. On Saturday our event was not very successful as there were very few passers-by around the spot that was granted to us by the city hall.
Photograph: Droits Des Animaux
Organization: Droits Des Animaux
Contact: melvin(at)droitsdesanimaux.net
Clermont-Ferrand (France), 30 Jan 2011
For the World Week for the Abolition of Meat, we set up another information stall on Sunday, January 30th so as to raise awareness about animal rights and the idea of meat abolition.
The action was much more successful than the one we put together on the day before as our stand was located on the Salins marketplace, and many people stopped by. We were very pleasantly surprised by the positive and open-minded response we got. We met a number of people who had stopped consuming animal products. We had very interesting and courteous conversations both with people who supported the idea and with people who were totally against it.
Photograph: Droits Des Animaux
Organization: Droits Des Animaux
Contact: melvin(at)droitsdesanimaux.net
Die (France), Jan 2011
In the morning we handed out about 300 leaflets on the market in Die.
In the afternoon we continued with the leafleting event at the "Ecology on a daily basis" forum.
Over all we got a good reception.
Leaflet: http://www.nomoremeat.org/material/Flyer_Abolition_of_Meat.pdf
Lyon (France), 29 Jan 2011
43 activists gathered on Saturday 29 January on Place des Terreaux in Lyons to observe an hour of silence in homage to all the animals killed for the consumption of their flesh.
We held placards denouncing the horrors of slaughterhouses and displaying the number of animals killed in order to satisfy human beings' appetite in order to raise awareness and promote our will to abolish meat.
About 500 leaflets were handed out.
The local media covered the event.
Photographs: Dignité Animale
Organization: Dignité Animale
Contact: dignite.animale(at)yahoo.fr>
Marseille (France), 26 Jan 2010
A leafleting event was held on Wednesday January 26, at around noon, at the local produce market on the Cours Julien in Marseilles.
We distributed "World day for the abolition of meat" pamphlets, and whoever was interested could also receive a copy of the "Abolish Meat" brochure.
We held panels and posters where one could read "My flesh belongs to me" and "What if we abolished the meat?".
The demand for the abolition of meat seemed audible for a lot of the passers-by, even if some of them laughed at the idea and insisted on its utopian aspect.
Positive feedback overall.
Poster: Abolir la Viande
Organization: Collectif Egalité
Contact: Ivora <collectif.egalite(at)gmail.com>
Metz (France), 29 Jan 2011
On the World Day for the Abolition of Meat, VegLorraine organized an event in Metz.
VegLorraine held a wake for slain animals. It was accompanied by a leafleting event.
The newspaper Le Républicain Lorrain along with France 3 TV Channel came by.
The public was quite receptive, even though the feedback was not always positive.
There were many passers by; which gave us great visibility. We had some interesting conversations, but theye were fewer than usual.
The action lasted for two hours; we ended it when we ran out of flyers.
Photographs: VegLorraine
Organization: VegLorraine
Contact: veglorraine(at)yahoo.fr
Montpellier (France), 3 Feb 2011
20 activists at least were expected for an action in Montpellier (France) for the World Day for the Abolition of Meat on Saturday, January 29th.
Because of rainy weather, we had to reschedule our demonstration to Thursday, February 3rd; still, a dozen of activists showed up for the event.
The artist Lauren made chalk drawings on the ground of the sihouettes of a sow and her piglets sprinkled with drops of blood. In order to symbolize murders and funerals, we surrounded the animals' silhouette drawings with a red rope (as for a crime scene), lit candles and roses.
Activists wearing animal masks held signs indicating the number of animals killed for meat in the world each year (that is, hundreds of billions), the number killed in a month, in a day, etc.
Others held signs on Meat Abolition and panels with photographs showing the horrors of factory farming.
Hundreds of leaflets were distributed, and a journalist came to us to discuss the arrangements for a long article on veganism.
Photographs: CLAM
Organization: CLAM
Contact : joelleverdier(at)yahoo.fr
Nancy (France), 29 Jan 2011
On the World Day for the Abolition of Meat, VegLorraine and AVF (Association Végétarienne de France) (France Vegetarian Organization) put together an event in Nancy.
We held a wake for slain animals.
It was accompanied by a leafleting event.
Journalists from L'Est Républicain and La Semaine came to cover the event. Some passers-by were interested by the action while others appeared to be rather indifferent.
The event which lasted for two hours was ended due to cold weather.
Photograph: VegLorraine
Organization: VegLorraine
Contact: veglorraine(at)yahoo.fr
Nantes (France), 29 Jan 2011
English version provided by the organizers.
Published as is.
The associations "Droits des Animaux" (Animal Rights) and nea ("Non à l'exploitation Animale"; literally : "No to Animal Exploitation") organized together an information stand and an event on Saturday, 29th January 2011 in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique, West of France)
Discussions with people in the street were very rich and the members of the two associations were often encouraged and supported by vegetarians - like this vegan family with two children - as well as by people who haven't taken this step yet but who progressively get more aware of this ethical issue.
During the event, a man covered with fake blood was lying in a plastic container, imitating a meat container. Most reactions were encouraging and the mockery of some was challenged by the arguments put forward about the tragic consequences of meat consumption for animals.
That day was a great opportunity to meet "budding" vegetarians who have paid attention to the place of animals that has been recently much debated in the French media. But it was also the opportunity to meet this part-time fisherman who wanted to know our position about fish and who eventually ackowledged that he'd better find a less crual hobby. There was also this man who didn't know what to do with the meat that he had already bought for dinner! More strikingly, we also had the opportunity to talk to a butcher working in a slaughter-house and who remained a long time standing near the container, explaining the slaughter conditions of cattle: "They don't want to die" he said "Once in the corridor, they understand what's going on. I've been a butcher for six years and I do it to give meat to consumers. I kill up to 600 cows and calves a week and yet,I like animal.". He also pointed out that animals arrive at the slaughter-house stressed out whether they come from industrial or organic exploitations. He left with five leaflets about the animal condition and alternatives to animal-based products. "I'll put them up at work on monday. Some will just throw them away but at least, they will be seen!"
A journalist from newspaper Ouest France was also there and a video and article were posted on their website. Two other articles were published in the Sunday and Monday editions.
Photograph: nea
Organizations: nea and Droits Des Animaux
Contacts: nea and Droits Des Animaux
Paris (France), 29 Jan 2011
For the World Week for the Abolition of Meat, L214, AVF and CLEDA organized an action in Paris on January 29th between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
About one hundred people displayed placards and banners in order to illustrate:
- the suffering and the killing caused by the consumption of animal products
- the alternative offered by the Abolition of Meat summarized by the slogan "La fin de la viande, c'est pas la mort" ("The end of meat does not cause death").
The event was held successively in 4 places in the city (Beaubourg, Châtelet, St Michel and Odéon).
Rennes (France), 22 Jan 2011
English version provided by the organizers
Published as is
In this early stage of World Week for the Abolition of Meat", Nea and Droits des Animaux held an information stand Place de la république in Rennes from 2pm to 7 pm, with a "Meat Tray Action" at 4pm.
There was good attendance with, among other profiles, the “annoyed ” totally rejecting our claims, the sympathisers supporting the abolition of meat, as well as the “I only eat a little meat” tempted to take the plunge and become vegeta*ian, and, for the first-time, onlookers attracted by the recent media attention, timidly picking up a few leaflets.
We set up the Meat Tray at 4pm. The event lasted around 45 minutes, with activists busy handing out leaflets and explaining the Abolition of Meat. Responses ranged from “A cow is brainless”, “it’s obscene”, "there are children here!” to “you are doing a great job”, “people can make the link between meat and the animals.”
A journalist from “20 minutes Rennes” was present and an article will be published in the paper.
Photographs: nea
Strasbourg (France), 22 Jan 2011
For the World Week for the Abolition of Meat, Animalsace went to meet passers-by in Strasbourg (France) so as to spread the idea of the demand for the abolition of meat.
We gave out leaflets with a copy of the manifesto for the abolition of meat on one side and a vegan recipe on the other.
Two activists held a large "meat=murder" banner which attracted people's attention.
Manifesto:
Because meat production involves killing the animals that are eaten,
because their living conditions and slaughter cause many of them to suffer,
because eating meat isn't necessary,
because sentient beings shouldn't be mistreated or killed unnecessarily
therefore, farming, fishing and hunting animals for their flesh, as well as selling and eating animal flesh, should be abolished.
Strasbourg (France), 29 Jan 2011
We took part in the World Week for the Abolition of Meat by organizing an event on January 29 in Strasbourg (France).
We held an information stand and handed out leaflets with a presentation of the demand for the abolition of meat on the front and a vegan recipe on the back so as to show how to put this beautiful idea into practice.
Organization: Animalsace
Contact: contact(at)animalsace.org
Séné (France), 29 Jan 2011
On Saturday, January 29th Veg 56 held an information stand about vegetarianism and animal rights at the local social forum in Séné.
Organization: Veg 56
Contact: veg56(at)voila.fr
Toulouse (France), 29 Jan 2011
On January 29th Animal Amnistie and AVF organizations held a joint event for the World Day for the Abolition of Meat.
With Animal Amnistie the public was invited to taste "human meat" which was made of seitan. People could then go to the AVF part of the stand to receive information on vegetarian alternatives.
People were either shocked by or incredulous at the "human meat" display. Either way it caused them to question their habits. No one was indifferent.
Some vegetarian people said that they give meat to their 6-year old daughter as they are worried about peer pressure at school.
Over all the event was successful.
Contact: Animal Amnistie and AVF