Hong Kong Pig Save activists stage vigil at slaughterhouse to raise awareness of pigs’ plight
The vegan NGO is dedicated to raising awareness about the meat industry, and regularly visits Tsuen Wan slaughterhouse to give water to the pigs that arrive by truck from China, pet them and ‘bear witness’ in non-violent protests
The acrid odour of blood and faeces fills the air around Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse as activists from Hong Kong Pig Save stage a peaceful protest outside the abattoir. The group’s goal is to raise awareness about the meat industry as a whole, which they deem unethical and inhumane, while promoting a diet and lifestyle free from all products derived from animals.
Around 30 activists hold up signs and gather around trucks filled with pigs waiting to enter the facility. The organisation is the Hong Kong chapter of The Save Movement, a worldwide network comprised of members who gather to witness farm animals en route to slaughter in a show of non-violent resistance.
Hong Kong Pig Save has staged similar demonstrations, which it calls vigils, since being founded in February 2017. This time, they are joined by Joey Carbstrong, an Australian animal rights activist known for his outspoken advocacy of veganism, who is visiting Hong Kong for a week, during which he will join a number of demonstrations.
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Carbstrong climbs the slaughterhouse’s outer walls to film the animals in holding pens inside using his smartphone. The 31-year-old believes in converting others to an animal-free lifestyle. “In times of injustice, to be neutral is to be complicit,” he says.