Record Numbers of Vegan Meals for Police to feed Environmentalists

I watched with wry amusement a video tweet from a Metropolitan Police Officer earlier today describing how a pallet load of vegan food had been delivered to Brixton Police station to feed some 1,100 Extinction Rebellion activists who have been arrested this week during the London shutdown. 

The activists are to be offered vegetarian chilli for their evening meal tonight as they reside at the pleasure of Her Majesty’s Metropolitan Police. No doubt this will be adequate for some, but the police will need to ensure that a decent proportion of the meals are dairy-free for the near future. 

The usual menu for “normal” detainees includes chicken tikka, chicken korma and spicy chicken with rice. But of course, this is inadequate and inappropriate for compassionate earth-loving protestors. 

Extinction Rebellion detainees, by and large, will not tolerate animal products

The menu arrangements were passed to the media by Inspector Brian Smith of Brixton police station. It appears that they were forewarned after activists complained about the inadequacies of food arrangement during the previous acts of civil disobedience in April. As Inspector Smith said in a video posted to social media: “everyone knows we ran a bit low last time so this time we’ve got plenty”. 

Arrested protesters had also previously complained about a lack of alternatives to cow’s milk.

It’s good that the authorities are able now to put two and two together. Look at a group of eco-warriors campaigning to save the planet, and it is a fair assumption that most of them will not want to eat meat or drink cow’s milk. Whatever your views on the nuances of Extinction Rebellion, this very assumption is enough to make a good vegan proud!

The MailOnline reported that a Metropolitan Police spokesman had commented that “record numbers of vegan meals are being used in our cells.”

Staff at Brixton police station reported that one Extinction Rebellion detainee had sent them flowers and thank you note for their professionalism and decency. Clearly vegan eco-warriors are a classier type of criminal!

#WATCH | Custody Inspector update

We have plenty of dedicated cells across The Met for those protestors who act unlawfully – You will be arrested and taken in to custody.

If you wish to continue to protest you must go to the pedestrianised area of Trafalgar Square. pic.twitter.com/HAm0IX3jol

— MPS Events (@MetPoliceEvents) October 10, 2019

The trend towards vegan food options becoming mandatory in state institutions is quite clear. The movement is towards this being enshrined as a human right of those not wishing to consume animals products. Recently this development has been an administrative one in Scottish schools as well as Irish schools where vegan meals are now to be made available as a matter of policy. Provision of vegan meals is likely to become a legal requirement in public hospitals in New York. 

The mandatory provision of vegan meals by public bodies is a human right of its customers, and the compassionate and caring attitude of the Metropolitan Police towards Extinction Rebellion protestors is to be welcomed.