Vegan Activists Attacked After Trying To Put A Stop To Bullfight

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Vegan activists were stopped and attacked after they tried to stop a bullfight in Portugal. 

Footage taken at the venue shows three men running into the ring during a break and pulling off their T-shirts.

The men, who were reportedly members of the Vegan Strike Group – an animal rights organisation – held up their clothes to the crowd, showing their protest messages which were written on them.

Watch the video here:

The shocking event took place in the city of Albufeira in the southern Algarve region of Portugal.

Vegan Strike Group describe themselves as an international organisation who fight animal abuse.

Their Facebook page description reads:

Our campaigns are directed to defend animals who are enslaved and abused for human entertainment purposes; mainly in shows like bullfights and dolphinariums.

We have stopped more than 30 bullfights in Spain, France, Portugal and Mexico. Our actions have been reported in television and newspapers.

We are a group of activists, of different countries, that travel across the world making direct actions and boycotting shows with animals, always in a peaceful way.

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Just seconds after the protestors entered the ring, multiple officials and spectators ran to stop them, with some even tackling the men to the ground.

One of the activists managed to escape the grasp of the people trying to stop him and continued running away. He held his shirt up in a last-ditch effort to get the group’s important message across, before being grabbed by officials.

The three men were frogmarched out of the bullring, into the hands of waiting police. They were members of the Republican National Guard, working to keep order at the event.

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The video shows one of the protestors on the receiving end of numerous physical attacks as they walk out, with one person in the corridor kicking him in the stomach as he passes.

Another man, dressed in black, hit one of the activists in the back with a bandarilha – a decorated barbed stick with a sharp end and about 70 centimetres (27.5 inches) long, which is used on the bulls during a bullfight.

The police didn’t appear to do anything to try to stop the attackers.

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Peter Janssen, a member of the Vegan Strike Group, posted images online after the attack.

He wrote a caption accompanying them, which read:

The violence against the activists of the Vegan Strike Group cannot be better explained than looking at this video.

Many people have commented on the footage, praising the activists for standing up for the bulls and expressing their shock at the amount of violence involved.

One person wrote:

I can’t believe this Barbaric so called sport still goes on!!! Disgraceful!!!

Another added:

Brave 3, bloody terrible they got beaten up

Vegan Strike Group often attempt to put a stop to events and displays involving animals, with another of their activists recently protesting a dolphin performance at the Zoomarine park.

Pictures shared on Twitter suggest this isn’t the first time the group have been attacked for their work.

One person shared a picture of Janssen, writing (translated):

Brutal beating of activist Peter Janssen D Vegan Strike Group in protest at Plaza Toros D Lisboa

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Emily Brown

Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.