Naked vegans covered in fake blood demand Barcelona becomes meat-free

'The environmental, health and ethical implications surrounding the consumption of meat is an issue that cannot be ignored anymore'

Naked animal rights activists have covered themselves in blood and wrapped themselves in giant meat packaging in the middle of Barcelona.

The Spanish branch of animal rights organisation AnimaNaturalis staged the protest on Sunday, on Barcelona’s Sant Jaume plaza.

Activists protested completely naked in the busy plaza, lying on large Styrofoam trays, covered in fake blood and wrapped in transparent plastic – similarly to how meat is often packaged in supermarkets.

The ‘packages’ were labelled "carne humana".

The aim of the protest was to raise public awareness of the benefits of a meat-free diet that is “free from exploitation, animal suffering and death”.

The protest comes two months after Barcelona declared itself the first officially ‘veggie friendly’ city, but AnimaNaturalis claim that they have not done enough to implement the pledge.

Aida Gascon, director of AnimaNaturalis said: “We want to draw the attention of the authorities of the city, which pledged in March to join global initiatives such as Paul McCartney’s ‘Meatless Monday’, but have not implemented anything yet.

“The environmental, health and ethical implications surrounding the consumption of meat is an issue that cannot be ignored anymore.”

The organisation would like the government to commit at least one day to campaigning for a diet free of animal products.

According to AnimaNaturalis, 60 billion animals a year are used to for food.

“We call for the protection of the rights of animals used as food,” the organisation said in a statement. “We encourage anyone to leave the meat off the plate and join the millions of people around the world who believe that a meatless day can make a difference.”