Imagine being so annoyed by what somebody else eats that you decide to spend your weekend eating a raw pig's head just to stick it to them. It may sound ridiculous, but that's exactly what one protester did this weekend at a vegan festival in Brighton, England.

The number of people identifying as vegan has skyrocketed over the last decade. Popular trends like Veganuary, combined with the fact major food corporations like McDonald's are now introducing plant-based options to their menus, means it is easier and more acceptable than ever to be a vegan.

In fact, according to a report, veganism in the US has increased by 600% in just three years, with 6% of the nation now opting for a plant-based diet.

However, considering we're living in a time where seemingly everybody must let you know their opinion on everything, impassioned meat-eaters and vegans have clashed on several occasions. And I'm not just talking about that vegan bride who banned meat-eaters from her wedding, I'm talking heated public confrontations; where vegans hijack aisles in supermarkets and meat-eaters BBQ hotdogs in front of animal rights protestors.

But this weekend saw perhaps the most stomach-churning confrontation when a man protesting a vegan food festival started biting into a raw pig's head in front of the plant-based festival goers.

The incident occurred at VegFest 2019, a two-day vegan food festival that took place on March 23 and 24 at Brighton Centre.

The protester was confronted by members of the Brighton-based animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, brandishing placards reading "it's not food, it's violence" and "meat is murder", the Brighton and Hove Independent reported.

Tim Barford, a manager of Vegfest UK, also told the publication:

"We knew about the planned protest and were expecting 30 protestors - three turned up.

"But they proceeded to upset kids and members of the public, and with that in mind, the police arrived, gave them a warning and sent them packing.

"What was interesting was that we had meat-eating members of the public saying that this revolting spectacle had encouraged them to give up eating meat - so it seems the anti-vegan protest actually encouraged people to go vegan."

Another member of the DxE Brighton added:

"A lot of everyday people walking past are also repulsed by the sight of a pig's head which is interesting as most of these people eat pigs as well.

"It goes to show what we already know, that people don't like seeing the faces of the animals they eat. Eating animals is eating a product of torture and death. Why is animal abuse so normalised when it's in a burger but shocking when we see the being behind the burger?"

The protester has yet to be named.

Imagine being so annoyed by what somebody else eats that you decide to spend your weekend eating a raw pig's head just to stick it to them. It may sound ridiculous, but that's exactly what one protester did this weekend at a vegan festival in Brighton, England.

The number of people identifying as vegan has skyrocketed over the last decade. Popular trends like Veganuary, combined with the fact major food corporations like McDonald's are now introducing plant-based options to their menus, means it is easier and more acceptable than ever to be a vegan.

In fact, according to a report, veganism in the US has increased by 600% in just three years, with 6% of the nation now opting for a plant-based diet.

However, considering we're living in a time where seemingly everybody must let you know their opinion on everything, impassioned meat-eaters and vegans have clashed on several occasions. And I'm not just talking about that vegan bride who banned meat-eaters from her wedding, I'm talking heated public confrontations; where vegans hijack aisles in supermarkets and meat-eaters BBQ hotdogs in front of animal rights protestors.

But this weekend saw perhaps the most stomach-churning confrontation when a man protesting a vegan food festival started biting into a raw pig's head in front of the plant-based festival goers.

The incident occurred at VegFest 2019, a two-day vegan food festival that took place on March 23 and 24 at Brighton Centre.

The protester was confronted by members of the Brighton-based animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, brandishing placards reading "it's not food, it's violence" and "meat is murder", the Brighton and Hove Independent reported.

Tim Barford, a manager of Vegfest UK, also told the publication:

"We knew about the planned protest and were expecting 30 protestors - three turned up.

"But they proceeded to upset kids and members of the public, and with that in mind, the police arrived, gave them a warning and sent them packing.

"What was interesting was that we had meat-eating members of the public saying that this revolting spectacle had encouraged them to give up eating meat - so it seems the anti-vegan protest actually encouraged people to go vegan."

Another member of the DxE Brighton added:

"A lot of everyday people walking past are also repulsed by the sight of a pig's head which is interesting as most of these people eat pigs as well.

"It goes to show what we already know, that people don't like seeing the faces of the animals they eat. Eating animals is eating a product of torture and death. Why is animal abuse so normalised when it's in a burger but shocking when we see the being behind the burger?"

The protester has yet to be named.