Six militant vegans have been arrested and charged with a string of violent attacks on butcher shops, fish stores and a McDonald’s in the Lille area in northern France.
The attacks, which took place between May and August, represent an escalation of vegan protests against consuming animal products, including cheese. Police used DNA and phone records to trace the activists. They face trial in the fall.
It’s not limited to Lille; protests and attacks have happened elsewhere, and a national association of butchers has asked for government protection. On the other hand, anti-vegans last month precipitated the cancellation of a vegan festival in Calais with threats of holding a giant barbecue nearby.