If you're a staunch meat eater who simply can't stand the idea of vegans, chances are that PETA are one of the reasons that plant-based diets get you so riled up.

Most people who decide not to eat animal products will do so quietly with little fuss, but with their bizarre publicity stunts and confrontational rhetoric, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have ended up accidentally being the poster child for vegans, and that's not great at all.

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From their nude campaigns to campaigning for changes to the English dictionary to more 'animal-friendly' terms, PETA stunts are often design with the express purpose of shock and awe, and this particular demonstration is no different. Outside of a mall located in the centre of Sydney, with hundreds of children present, PETA decided to barbecue a dog in the street.

It wasn't actually a real dog - only a horrifyingly convincing fake - but that doesn't mean people weren't horrified by what they saw. For PETA, the basic argument is that intelligent and sensitive animals are being mercilessly bred for slaughter, which is a cogent point.

But are there better ways of expressing that point?

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Carried out at Pitt Street Mall in the centre of Sydney, this particular stunt coincided with Australia's National Day, which takes place on Sunday and usually involves cooking meat on a giant barbecue. PETA's hope here is that their demonstration will help convince people to go vegan, with the rationale: "if you wouldn't eat a dog, why eat a lamb?"

"Anyone who’s repulsed by the prospect of chowing down on dog meat should question the incongruity of their compassion towards other animals," the animal rights organisation said in a statement.

"This is called speciesism – a form of discrimination based on nothing more than species – and like all forms of discrimination, it cannot be justified. As humans, we instinctively feel compassion and empathy for animals, but we’re taught that it’s OK to enslave and eat some of them, without a second thought as to who they are as individuals."

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Unfortunately, this point was lost in the mayhem of the situation, as many people were far too horrified by what they saw to effectively consider the argument being made. As one Twitter user revealed, the protest hit home especially home with young schoolkids.

"Peta stooping to news [sic] lows with their stunt in Martin Place today – terrifying children on school holiday outings by barbecuing a (very lifelike) dog. I saw some visible upset kids."

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"To care about animals – as most Australians claim to – should be to care about all animals," continued PETA in their statement, making reference to the Australia Day barbecue.

"Many animal-free options (which are also better for your health and the environment) are available for your Australia Day barbecue."

Piers Morgan proudly ate a steak in front of a "pasty-faced" vegan activist in defiance against the plant-based diet movement.

During an episode on his TV show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, the controversial 58-year-old host was discussing the protests made by Animal Rebellion - a plant-based justice movement - at Salt Bae’s Nusr-Et steakhouse.

For further context, last December, the activist group protested against the Turkish butcher - whose real name is Nusret Gökçe - as his menu included a "golden tomahawk" steak encrusted in 24-carat gold leaf, which costs up to $1,800.

The no-nonsense host invited the vegan organization's spokesperson Nathan McGovern and celebrity chef Aldo Zilli onto the show to discuss the meaning behind the demonstrations.

Check out the bizarre moment below:

As soon as the interview started, in typical Morgan fashion, the host said to the activist McGovern: "I don't like vegans very much... I think you all look pretty pasty-faced and unhealthy to me."

He then continued by stating: "What I don't do is I don't go running into vegan restaurants and start screaming abuse at you all and have to be pulled out by people because you're ruining everyone's fun."

McGovern was very calm as he told the TV host that he's started with an "absolute blinder" before going on to debate precision fermentation - which the activist describes is capable of producing animal protein using a "fraction of the land" and "carbon footprint".

However, the Talk TV presenter stood firmly by his comments and interjected: "But I like eating meat," before asking McGovern if he is a "committed" vegan and drinks "almond milk".

The spokesperson then replied that he doesn't because he loves "seasonal British fruit and veg," adding: "You know, I love supporting British farmers. I love going to the farmer's market, seeing what they have to offer."

Clearly uninterested, Morgan turned his attention to Chef Zilli to ask about his opinion on the protests against the flashy meat.

The outside of Nusr-Et steak restaurant in London, England. Credit: Leon Neal / Getty

The chef declared that he "opened one of the first vegetarian restaurants in London's Soho" so he doesn't have any issues with "vegan, veganism and vegetarian people". However, he doesn't understand the Animal Rebellion protests saying that they "disrupt" the food industry.

Morgan and Zilli then teamed up to challenge McGovern and ask him why vegan protest groups chose to target public places such as museums and restaurants.

The controversial host then asserted: "None of you make me want to change my mind. I just think one annoying little squits - honestly, I do," and decided to bring out a steak dinner and delightfully devour it in front of guests - generating laughter from everyone.

"Here's my point. I love eating steak. I'm not going to stop eating steak," he said. "And the very last thing on earth that will stop me eating steak is people like you with your pasty faces running into our restaurants and telling us to stop eating steak," he added before McGovern responded: "And that's absolutely fine."

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The host then asked the vegan activist about his views on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry using private planes, to which McGovern exclaimed that he was not shocked that Morgan brought the royal couple up.

After more debates, Morgan made another point, telling his guests: "If you want to win an argument, you just can't be annoying all the time."

Sounds like he could take his own advice then...

Featured image credit: Karwai Tang / Getty

Piers Morgan has decided to eat a steak in front of a "pasty-faced" vegan activist to prove they cannot stop people from eating meat.

On the last episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, the controversial 57-year-old host was discussing the protests made by Animal Rebellion - a plant-based justice movement - in recent weeks.

Morgan chose to invite the vegan organization's spokesperson Nathan McGovern and celebrity chef Aldo Zilli onto the show to discuss the demonstrations.

As soon as the interview started, in typical fashion, the TV host said to McGovern: "I don't like vegans very much... I think you all look pretty pasty-faced and unhealthy to me."

Check out the bizarre moment below:

Morgan then continued by saying: "What I don't do is I don't go running into vegan restaurants and start screaming abuse at you all and have to be pulled out by people because you're ruining everyone's fun."

The vegan spokesperson then told the host that he's started with an "absolute blinder" before going on to debate precision fermentation - which McGovern explains is capable of producing animal protein using a "fraction of the land" and "carbon footprint".

However, Morgan stood by his remarks and interjected: "But I like eating meat," before asking McGovern if he is a "committed" vegan and drinks "almond milk".

The spokesperson then replied that he doesn't and explained: "I love seasonal British fruit and veg. You know, I love supporting British farmers. I love going to the farmer's market, seeing what they have to offer."

Morgan then turned his attention to Chef Zilli to ask about his opinion on the Nusr-Et steakhouse protest - which was when activists protested against Salt Bae's gold-coated steaks, which cost up to $1,800 (£1,450).

Watch the Nusr-Et steakhouse protest below:

The chef pointed out that he "opened one of the first vegetarian restaurants in London's Soho," explaining: "I don't have any problems with vegan, veganism and vegetarian people. So I don't understand when it gets out of hand that these people have to disrupt our business."

Morgan and Zilli then started challenging McGovern and asked him why vegan protest groups chose to target public places such as museums and restaurants.

The Talk TV host then declared: "None of you make me want to change my mind. I just think one annoying little squits - honestly, I do."

As the debate continued, Morgan brought out a steak dinner and started to eat it, generating laughs from both guests. He then said: "Here's my point. I love eating steak. I'm not going to stop eating steak.

"And the very last thing on earth that will stop me eating steak is people like you with your pasty faces running into our restaurants and telling us to stop eating steak," he added before McGovern responded: "And that's absolutely fine."

The host then asked the activist about his opinion on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry using private planes, to which McGovern exclaimed that he is not surprised Morgan brought the royal couple up.

After more back and forth, Morgan made another point, telling his guests: "If you want to win an argument, you just can't be annoying all the time."

Sounds like he could take his own advice then...

Featured image credit: PA Images / Alamy

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.

Check out the disturbing footage in the video below:

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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."

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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.

In Canada, animal rights activists protest Fearman's Slaughterhouse by holding vigils in the street. They briefly stop transport trucks carrying pigs to their deaths, and give each animal water and comfort through the slats. Sometimes this leads to confrontations with angry truck drivers, who don't know what's in the liquid and worry it will contaminate the livestock. And sometimes this leads to confrontations with irritated drivers, who blast their horn, stuck in traffic behind the truck for two minutes.

One man came up with a novel way to troll the protestors: barbecue hot dogs on a grill across the street. We've seen vegans and meat-lovers clash before: On Twitter, Chrissy Teigen fired back at vegetarians after getting 'meat-shamed' for a post about bacon. And in England, a butcher put up an amusing sign poking fun at the vegan lifestyle. But this specific scenario is new.

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The stunt was filmed and uploaded on the YouTube channel Pathetic Millennial. The seven minute video begins with a clip swiped from the protestors. "We're at a pig vigil right now outside of a slaughterhouse that slaughters 10,000 pigs per day," says the off-screen activist. "We're bearing witness to the pigs going in, stopping the trucks, giving them water, giving them love, and then these people show up." She reveals the barbecue across the street. "They think it's f***ing hilarious to come and set up a barbecue right in front of us."

Well, it is kind of funny, isn't it? That activist doesn't do much to break the stereotype of the smug, humorless vegan. Anyway, at around the 2:30 mark, the troll chef and his female companion set up the grill and start cooking dogs. Unfortunately, they didn't bring bacon, to grill some delicious bacon-wrapped hot dogs, but hey, there's always next time.

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The barbecue organizer gleefully gives hot dogs away to passing motorists, while the activists do their best to ignore him. At one point, he crosses the street, to generously offer his wiener to a female protestor. She looks at him with irritation, and snaps, "Go cross the road right now or I'll call the police." At another point, an activist stops by the grill to express her disgust, calling the hot dogs "gross." I guess they're more fans of carrot dogs.

I thought there would be more explosive confrontations, since the video has over a million views. But maybe that's a good thing, considering how many videos feature Trump supporters and Trump protestors getting into fights. Or maybe in Canada, they're just too darn polite to fight. After every punch, they have to stop and say, "Sorey." It really messes up the rhythm.

The guy grilling hot dogs in front of the pig vigil should hang out with that guy who ate a raw, bloody steak outside the vegan festival. I feel like they'd get along great. With each other, anyway.