A vegan influencer has been slammed for saying the Black Lives Matter movement is “all the same fight” as animal rights.
Lauren Rebecca Perez told followers on the video-sharing app TikTok that “black lives matter and animal lives matter”, urging them to “connect these two dots”.
Her remarks sparked a furious backlash and were branded “tone deaf” and “cruel”.
It follows nine days of civil unrest that has swept US cities sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody on May 25.
Four police officers have been charged in relation to his death.
Anti-racism protests under the banner of the Black Lives Matter movement have also spread to the UK, with thousands marching on Parliament Square on Wednesday.
Ms Perez said in the TikTok video: "I feel like this needs to be said and I really wish that more people would connect these two dots but black lives matter and animal lives matter.
"Literally all sentient beings on this planet deserve a life free from fear, free from abuse, free from unjust prosecution."
She added: “If it's not their time to die, they don't deserve to die. So stop killing Black people and stop killing animals. Veganism. The Black Lives Matter movement. It's all the same fight."
The influencer also uploaded the video to Twitter, where it has racked up 4.5 million views and sparked outrage.
PhD student Jessica Masterson replied: "I am passionate about animal liberation. I've been vegan for 6 years, and was vegetarian for 12 years before that.
"But this tweet comes across as really tone-deaf & cruel. You're hijacking this pivotal moment for the #BLM movement to promote your own agenda. It's a bad look."
Another fumed: "The fact that you had the sheer audacity to compare black people to animals and say this is the same issue is completely TONE DEAF. You're ridiculous. But further more you disrespected my ancestors and myself."
A third tweeted: "Wow. You found an argument worse than 'All Lives Matter.' You went to 'All Life Matters.'"
Others said her video was "embarrassing," "offensive", "despicable” and “racist”.
The row comes after white Instagram influencers in the US were branded “narcissistic” and “shameful” for posing for photos in front of looted stores and BLM marches, in footage tweeted by the Influencers in the Wild Twitter account.
Shops have been shattered as angry protests over Mr Floyd’s death have spilled over into riots in some US cities.
