A man has sparked fury in Amsterdam after eating a slab of raw meat in front of a vegan food festival, in an apparent form of protest.
The man, who did not reveal his name, was filmed chewing on the meat as he was being questioned by police officers for his behaviour.
Witnesses say the meat was “literally dripping” with blood as it was being eaten by the man, who was wearing a black vest top with the slogan: “Go vegan and die” written across it at the time.
Police decided to confront the man after receiving complaints from attendees of the Vegan Food Festival, which was reportedly the first vegan food festival ever to be held in the Dutch capital.
A woman can be heard saying, “He is just eating it” in the video, which was captured by a witness on a smartphone.
The man was accompanied by an assistant and cameraman in front of the festival and left after an hour.
A spokesperson for the Vegan Food Festival has expressed their disapproval over the man’s actions, explaining that the festival is a family event.
“While it is of course not forbidden to eat raw meat, it was of course a shocking sight because there was a puddle of blood and fat,” they said.
“Besides, there were lots of elderly people and children. At that time a special children’s programme was going on.”
The spokesperson clarified that those who attend the festival are “not extreme vegans”.
The man was apparently reluctant to leave the festival at first, as there was no rule that stated that he could not stand in front of the festival grounds.
However, eventually he relented and police later confirmed that no arrests had been made.
“It was a weird protest by the gentleman,” the spokesperson said. “This festival is about having fun and sharing new experiences.”
Last week, a butcher was filmed aggressively swinging raw meat at vegan protesters who had chosen to carry out a “silent protest” in front of his market stall.
