Activists from the Anonymous
animal rights group on Tuesday handed out hundreds of free vegetarian meals to passersby at Tel Aviv's Sheinkin Garden to mark "International Meatout Day".
The wheat gluten-based shawarma and tofu hotdogs were handed out inside pita pockets and buns, and there was no use of disposable utensils so as not to harm the environment.
| 'Meatout Day' in Tel Aviv (Photo: Ronen Katsav) |
Animal rights groups in 20 different countries have been marking "Meatout Day" since 1985 in a bid to raise public awareness to the "ethical, environmental and health-related repercussions of the meat industry" and encourage vegetarianism as a way of life.
"The average Israeli eats the equivalent of some 4,000 animals during his lifetime," said Anonymous activist Erez Katsav. "To these animals it is a tragic ending to a life of suffering, which includes confinement in small cages, amputation and other cruel practices. This is a day of protest against the meat industry and a call to consumers not to fund it from their own pockets – for the sake of their personal health and for the sake of the animals.
"The consumption of large amounts of meat, as is customary in the West, increases the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, Osteoporosis and certain types of cancer, including breast, prostate and intestinal cancer. A healthy vegetarian diet can help in the prevention of these diseases," he said.
"People mistakenly assume that vegetarianism means a limited diet, but in fact it requires a more diverse one."
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