Since Animal Equality was founded in 2006, our team has been at the forefront of promoting meaningful changes to animals through powerful and strategic protests. .
From carrying out public rescues of suffering animals on factory farms to disrupting cruel industries that exploit and mistreat animals, here are 15 actions and protests have the greatest impact on us.
first. Activists Chained himself to a slaughterhouse – Madrid, 2006
Animal Equality’s first major action was to block the entrance of a Madrid slaughterhouse, preventing a truck carrying dead lambs from entering. Four activists – including our two Co-Founders, Sharon Núñez, President of Animal Equality and Javier Moreno – chained themselves in front of the slaughterhouse gates, while others protested with them holding plates The signs read ‘respect other animals’ and ‘vegetarian save animals’. Slaughterhouse filed a complaint in court, but our four activists were eventually acquitted of all charges.
2. The rescue of six piglets – Castilla La Mancha, 2007
Infiltrating an intensive pig farm in Spain, Animal Equality made a public rescue of six piglets being raised for human food. The scenes we found inside the farm were deplorable. The mother pigs locked in tiny crates were screaming in pain, unable to comfort their calves who were living among the carcasses of their siblings, who had not survived the conditions. harsh camp.
We had a new home at a sanctuary waiting for piglets we could rescue, where they have been able to live happy and pain-free lives ever since.
3. Protest at Campofrío Headquarters – Madrid, 2008
After the famous Spanish food company Campofrío launched an anti-vegetarian ad, Animal Equality launched an investigation into one of the company’s pig farms to expose the truth to consumers.
The farm is littered with dead piglets. We took their bodies to Campofrío headquarters and organized a protest with the corpses to show the company’s employees and the press the reality behind its marketing claims.
4. Scaling A Bullring – Barcelona, 2008
Animal Equality co-founder Jose Valle and activist Tomás García hung from the facade of La Monumental bullring in Barcelona and unfurled a large banner demanding an end to the so-called ‘sport’ of bullfighting. .
The auction ended a few years later in 2011.
5. Jumping into a bullfight – Barcelona, 2008
Coinciding with the above action, four other animal rights activists, including our Co-Founder Javier Moreno jumped into a bullfight during an event, risking their own safety. to draw attention to our goal in front of thousands of audiences.
They held up posters signaling our demand for bullfighting to be abolished, while a bull that had just been tortured was dying in the sand.
6. First International Animal Rights Day rally – Madrid, 2008
In 2008, Animal Equality organized the first International Animal Rights Day protest, bringing together philanthropists for a moving demonstration in Madrid to condemn exploitation. animals are not people.
Fifty activists gathered together, dressed in white overalls, holding the carcasses of animals such as chickens, pigs and foxes that we had found dead on intensive farms. Since then, we have been celebrating International Animal Rights Day every year, often with similar actions on a large scale in countries around the world including Brazil, Germany and Italy.
7. The catwalk protest against fur – Madrid, 2009
To protest against the use of animal skins and fur in the fashion industry, Animal Equality disrupted Madrid Fashion Week by jumping on the catwalk during the fashion show of luxury brand Roberto Torretta, using animal products such as fur and leather. They put out posters to draw attention to our message.
This action had a huge impact on the media – it was broadcast over and over again on most Spanish TV channels and covered by major national and international newspapers.
8. International Meat Free Day – Madrid, 2009
On International Meat Free Day 2009, Animal Equality organized a powerful action in a crowded area of Madrid. The six activists lay dormant in large trays of meat on the street, fake blood splattered and wrapped in plastic packages to resemble supermarket-bought animal meat packages.
The trays are labeled as ‘human flesh’ to encourage passersby to reflect on the consequences of our food choices.
9. Open the hen rescue – Madrid, 2010
In 2010, Animal Equality rescued five hens from a cage egg facility. The hens are kept in extreme conditions, locked behind bars of cages and subjected to a procedure that involves severe food restriction and darkness to force their bodies to begin an egg-laying cycle. new.
We have brought the birds in to be examined by a veterinarian and secured a new home for them where they are no longer exploited or abused.
10. One hundred crosses represent animals – Madrid, 2011
To mark World Fasting Day in 2011, Animal Equality installed 100 crosses in the cemetery in Madrid’s Callao Square. Each cross is attached with a photo of an animal that has been exploited and killed on a farm, abattoir or laboratory.
The number 100 was chosen to represent the 100 lives it is estimated that switching to a vegan diet will save each year.
11. Animal Crime Scene – London, 2011
On the banks of the Thames in London, we organized a demonstration featuring crime scene video and chalk drawings of animals painted on the floor, raising awareness of the billions of forgotten victims of agriculture. livestock farming and other forms of exploitation.
This eye-catching act has prompted many conversations with the public about the ethical reasons for adopting a vegan diet.
12. International Animal Rights Day – Rome, 2012
In 2012, at the ancient Roman site, the Pantheon, dozens of Animal Equality volunteers gathered for our first International Animal Rights Day action in Italy. They hold the lifeless corpses of animals that have died due to human exploitation.
Our volunteers also distributed flyers and collected petition signatures from people passing by the public who were affected by the scene and inspired to take action for animals.
The solemn, heartfelt event sheds light on the fact that freedom, justice and respect are fundamental rights of all individuals, regardless of race.
13. International Animal Rights Day – Berlin, 2015
Hundreds of activists joined us at Berlin’s famous Brandenburg Gate for a poignant demonstration in memory of the victims of the livestock industry.
Many of the brave protesters were moved to tears as they held the animals – who had tragically died on the farms – in their arms.
Members of the press attended to cover the action, and many passersby watched with deep emotion.
14. Short film ‘With My Own Eyes’ – UK, 2019
The release of Animal Equality’s thought-provoking and powerful short film, ‘With My Own Eyes’, narrated by actress and animal rights activist Rooney Mara, has been featured in a leading fashion magazine. and allows us to introduce new audiences to our work. on behalf of animals.
Rooney joins us on an undercover investigation inside two intensive farms to expose the brutal cruelty of the secretive meat industry, and to tell the heartbreaking stories of millions of pigs and chickens. raised for consumption each year in the UK.
15. Drop banners with Joaquin Phoenix – London, 2020
In February 2020, just days before he delivered his inspirational Oscar acceptance speech about the injustice and cruelty of the dairy industry, Joaquin Phoenix joined Animal Equality to drop a lengthy banner 390 square feet from London’s iconic landmark, Tower Bridge. The banner reads ‘Factory farming is destroying our planet. Go vegan’, draws attention to the link between animal agriculture and the climate emergency and encourages a global shift to a plant-based diet.
The outstanding act received global attention and widespread coverage.
With your support, we can organize even more activities and continue to make a real difference to animals in urgent need of our help.
