KFC Cruelty Campaign - Melbourne Australia

[melbourne 2003 / 2004 / 2005] [sydney] [brisbane] [canberra] [ballarat] [adelaide] [geelong] [kuala lumpur] [bangkok] [ho chi minh city]

Animal Liberation Victoria have been conducting weekly demonstrations outside Melbourne City KFC as part of the international KFC Cruelty campaign. Globally the campaign has achieved enormous media attention and gained the support of celebrities as diverse as Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Jason Alexander, Pamela Anderson and James Cromwell. ALV protestors have shown video of an ALV open rescue of broiler hens at a KFC supplier (which documents KFC broiler babies being raised in horrific conditions), and handed out over 75,000 leaflets, posters and postcards to KFC customers and passers by, many of whom have been horrified to learn about the suffering involved in the ‘colonel’s secret recipe’ and have sworn off ever again eating the remains of tortured and crippled baby birds.

Following is a regularly updated photo essay about ALV’s ongoing KFC Cruelty demonstrations. If you would like to get involved in a KFC Cruelty protest or conduct your own, contact ALV in Australia or PETA elsewhere in the world.

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2003 KFC demos (2004 and 2005 KFC cruelty demo photos)

Demo 27 - December 20, 2003

The security guard hired by KFC ineffectively tries to move protesters along.

Demo 26 - December 13, 2003

Jason Baker, a director of PETA, in Melbourne to discuss tactics for the 2004 KFC Cruelty campaign.

Demo 25 - December 06, 2003

The Bourke Street KFC was plastered with KFC Cruelty stickers during this demo.

Demo 24 - November 29, 2003

Demo 23 - November 22, 2003

Demo 22 - November 15, 2003

A young protester shows the few remaining customers inside this KFC store where their meal came from. ALV members informing the two security guards outside KFC that they are helping a company that tortures and cripples baby animals.

Demo 21 - November 01, 2003

Demo 20 - October 25, 2003

This demo started peacefully enough but then someone who apparently didn't like anti-KFC protesters came up and started harrassing demonstrators. We thought he had left but then he came up beside Noah on the megaphone and out of nowhere violently punched him in the side of the head. At this point a group of people, many of them not connected with the demo, chased after him and held him down so that the above photo could be taken. Police were called and he was taken away. After the police had gone Noah picked up the megaphone again and continued to inform the public about how KFC inflicts lives of constant misery upon baby chickens. We will not stop speaking out for those who have no voice.

Demo 19 - October 18, 2003

KFC have now hired security for the ALV protests. The first photo shows a security guard looking a little insecure. In the second photo police ask protesters to stop showing KFC patrons signs depicting the truth about how KFC abuses chickens. When told that it was not illegal to hold a sign up to the shop window, the protesters politely refused to stop.

Demo 18 - October 15, 2003

Popular US band Goldfinger, touring Australia as part of the Livid festival, joined in the ALV protests against KFC Cruelty. Frontman John Feldmann grabbed a megaphone and passionately informed the passing lunchtime crowds about how KFC serve up the remains of tortured and crippled baby birds. The protest was swelled by a large number of Goldfinger fans and police came several times during the demo to see what was going on, but as the last photo shows, John and other members of the band were not deterred and continued to keep up the pressure on KFC to stop torturing animals. Later that night John came out after the Goldfinger show and signed all his autographs for fans on KFC Cruelty leaflets. (A few days later the lads from Goldfinger attended more protests against KFC up in Queensland)

Demo 17 - October 13, 2003

This weekday protest attracted a lot of attention and the second photo shows some of the many schoolchildren who joined in the protest against KFC. The third photo shows the KFC manager speaking with some protesters who were informing customers about KFC cruelty.

Demo 16 - October 11, 2003

Demo 15 - October 04, 2003

During our third "global week of action" demo against KFC, store management held a "counter protest", sending two employees out to distribute KFC discount cards to passers-by. Protesters followed them around handing out KFC cruelty leaflets to everyone who received a discount card and held "Animal Cruelty" placards over their heads. The third photo shows the message greeting KFC customers from inside the store.

Demo 14 - September 27, 2003

ALV activists kicking of the worldwide KFC week of action. 30 protesters handed out thousands of leaflets, spoke to hundreds of passers by about KFC cruelty to animals, and used a megaphone to inform KFC customers that they were being served the remains of tortured, crippled baby birds. The second photo shows the KFC store nearly empty twenty minutes into our demonstration (it was close to full capacity before the demo started). The third shows ALV media spokeperson Natasha doing a radio interview for the KFC worldwide week of action.

Demo 13 - September 20, 2003

Demo 12 - September 13, 2003

The near emptiness of the normally bustling KFC in the background of the second photo shows the effectiveness of these demos. After reading our leaflets, the youngsters in the third photo went inside to protest to KFC management

Demo 11 - September 06, 2003

Demo 10 - August 30, 2003

Demo 9 - August 23, 2003

The police were repeated called by KFC management to this protest after receiving reports that ALV activists were linking arms and preventing customers from entering the building. These photos show the KFC manager running out to remove the protestors.

Demo 8 - August 16, 2003

This KFC manager ran out and told the protestors to get away from the doors and stop taking photos. The third photo is a close-up of the KFC manager's hand.

Demo 7 - August 09, 2003

An incident at this demonstration has convinced us that it is now more important than ever to educate the public about the cruelties involved in meat production. A group of teenagers approached the demonstration with live baby chickens in boxes, they aggressively dropped the boxes and kicked them along the ground, telling us that unless we payed them $10 for each baby chicken they would rip their wings off and drown them. At this point ALV member Noah grabbed the hens from the teenagers and the birds were taken to safety. Ten minutes later police came and arrested Noah for theft (this was ridiculous considering that the 'theft' involved stopping violent teenagers from abusing baby birds). The charges have since been dropped and ALV is currently pressing to have charges of cruelty to animals laid against the youths (one of the baby birds was later vomiting blood). The photos show ALV member Natasha cradling one of the rescued hens.

Demo 6 - August 02, 2003

Demo 5 - July 26, 2003

Demo 4 - July 25, 2003

The Geelong KFC demo was very 'colorful' and received a photo and write-up in Saturday's Geelong Advertiser. 24 activists from ALV, BOAR and Geelong joined forces to stand up for 'broiler' chickens. Patty, Jason and Brad ran red paint (water based) down the windows and front door of KFC. Several police attended, but no arrests. Chrissie Hinde (The Pretenders) and Peta's Ingrid Newkirk did a similar 'bloody' protest in Paris. Afterwards the protestors and a crippled broiler chicken walked down the street to the KFC head office and had an impromptu second demo after being locked out.

Demo 3 - July 19, 2003

Demo 2 - July 12, 2003

James Cromwell signs on to KFC Cruelty campaign - June 05, 2003

US actor and star of "Babe" James Cromwell was recently in Melbourne filming Salem’s Lot. The endearing farmer Hogget from Babe is a committed vegan and he took time off his filming schedule to help out with our campaign to stop KFC’s ongoing cruelty to chickens.

Demo 1 - March 26, 2003

2004 and 2005 KFC cruelty demo photos (Melbourne)