The public debate on animals and a plant-based future is changing...finally

Politics & law

19 Aug

OPINION: Following Animal Rebellion’s recent action at Harrods and other upscale supermarkets in which activists poured out several pints of milk onto the shop floor and occupied dairy aisles, Animal Rebellion co-founder Dan Kidby got invited onto Good Morning Britain. But despite some issues with the segment, there was a notable change in tenor in the debate compared to how similar ones have gone in the past.

Though the segment was framed around apparent criticism of the action by vegans and accusations of hypocrisy aimed at Animal Rebellion, the presenters Adil Ray and Charlotte Hawkins were relatively fair and reasonable in their line of questioning. They didn’t insult the activists or belittle their concern for the climate and ecological crises the way Richard Madeley did on GMB back in April with a Just Stop Oil activist. Crucially, they also did not deny or challenge Kidby’s (science-backed) assertions about the role of animal agriculture in the crises. Indeed, even the choice to have Talk Radio host Cristo Foufas as a guest alongside Kidby meant there was no one there denying the importance of cutting down on animal products. Foufas was introduced as not drinking milk for animal welfare reasons, and he said he agreed with Animal Rebellion’s aims, just not this particular action. Though Foufas was rather too ready to pontificate and interrupt, considering the other guests that could have been invited on (the mind jumps to certain well-known animal farmers), it was certainly progress to invite someone who broadly accepts the problems with dairy.

But perhaps the most notable moment came from Ray, who said “In the end, if you think about any protest, any protest is there to cause disruption - sometimes by any means necessary. If you go back to the Suffragette movement, some of the extreme measures the Suffragettes took - that led to women's rights. Protests are protests. And we are talking about it. To be fair, [Kidby’s] having his say. He's talking about it." Previous interviews with climate activists on GMB and elsewhere have typically seen the presenters refusing to admit there is any point or justification for disruptive or controversial protests. Usually, they suggest that the protesters should stick to politely holding placards, even though that has never been enough to bring real change. In that context, Ray’s reference to the Suffragettes and his acknowledgement that Animal Rebellion’s action did achieve results is pretty significant.

The GMB segment wasn’t the only big moment for animal activism and the media recently. Activist, filmmaker, and Surge’s own video editor Ryuji Chua (also known online as peacebyvegan) was a guest on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah to discuss consciousness and feeling in fish, after he made a documentary on the subject. The Daily Show, a long-running comedy news show in the U.S., has millions of weekly viewers. Apart from Noah making the tired joke about vegans telling you they’re vegan without you asking and describing most of them as judgemental, it was a thoughtful interview from someone who, like most people, had probably never given any thought to how fish feel when they’re caught in trawler nets or by a hook on the end of a fishing line, and wanted to understand more. Bringing an animal activist on to discuss animal suffering rather than, for example, a scientist, was also notable. It meant that the problem of animal suffering could be explored from an ethical perspective and not just a scientific or welfarist one, something which is very much needed in public discourse.

Taken together, Chua’s appearance on the Daily Show and Kidby’s on GMB indicate a potentially positive change to how the media is thinking about the harms inflicted on animals and the planet by animal agriculture and aquaculture.

Claire Hamlett is a freelance journalist, writer and regular contributor at Surge. Based in Oxford, UK, Claire tells stories that challenge systemic exploitation of and disregard for animals and the environment and that point to a better way of doing things.