Kelowna vegan protesters to continue ‘radical actions’

In the name of “Canada’s climate crisis,” a local climate advocacy group stood with 80 protesters at the intersection of Bernard Avenue and Richter Street in protest of the annual RibFest Kelowna.

They say they plan to continue doing this “so long as climate change is still an issue,” according to a Kelowna Climate Save (KCS) press release.

“We need to make serious changes, including discontinuing RibFest,” Mika Glaser, KCS organizer said.

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The group cites the United Nations ActNow campaign, which focuses on the deceleration of global warming and climate change, as well as Canada’s June 2019 declaration of a national climate change emergency as large reasons the group is choosing to amp up their protests.

Both the UN and Canada state livestock production as a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

Out of the 10 ways to “ActNow” one of them is specifically to have “meat-free meals.”

“The destruction of rainforests to create land for agriculture, along with growing demand for meat, are major contributors to the increasing greenhouse gases which are taking a significant toll on climate and global food security,” reads the UN’s campaign materials.

Glaser said KCS is planning their next protest on Sept. 9, but have yet to pin down the final details.

“(Our activism) is definitely accelerating,” Glaser said.