Protesters have targeted fast food chains in Manchester city centre amid calls for a 'plant-based future'.
Supporters of the animal and climate justice movement Animal Rebellion took to the streets on Monday evening. The activist group spray painted and displayed posters across the city centre with the slogan "Don't Break Any Hearts This Valentine's Day, Be Part Of A Plant-Based Future".
Animal Rebellion said it had targeted areas around Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens, including branches of McDonald's and Burger King, to 'spread a message of love to all' this Valentine's Day. One picture showed the group's logo sprayed on the side of a Metrolink tram.
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Protesters carried out similar action in other cities and towns across the UK, including Bristol, London, Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, York, Birmingham and Swansea.
Animal Rebellion said it was calling for 'the transition to a plant-based food system' and 'that Britain lives up to its label of a nation of animal lovers this Valentine’s Day'.
The group says it wants wholesale governmental and societal support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and a programme of rewilding.
Alan Guthrie, 54, a charity worker from Tameside, said: “This Valentine's Day we wanted to spread a message of love to all, including the nonhuman animals trapped in our systems of exploitation.
"A just and sustainable transition to a Plant Based Future is the best and quickest way for our Government to meet it’s net-zero commitments, restore the UK’s biodiversity and help struggling farmers.”
It is not the first time that Animal Rebellion activists have protested in the city. In December, the group staged a sit-in protest at Michelin-starred restaurant Mana, in Ancoats.
Police were called to the venue after 16 of the group's supporters entered the restaurant and occupied tables reserved for customers. The demonstrators held mock menus aloft with the courses outlining the group's demands, such as 'support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system'.
A spokesman for Animal Rebellion said Mana was targeted because "it refuses to cater to vegans" and has "a meat-heavy menu".
In October, protesters also targeted the Marks and Spencer store on Market Street, pouring out cartons of milk onto the shop floor and placing placards over joints of beef.
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