WATCH: Vegan activists graffiti the Eastgate underpass
Two vegan activists created a mural out of chalk in the Highland capital this week yesterday to highlight violence against animals.
The pair drew an artistic display of colours that stated 'you have a choice, why choose violence?'
Bee Vegan, (40), from Inverness has been vegan for three years, while Chloe Ferrier, (31), turned vegan a year ago.
Bee Vegan said: "My friend, Chloe, and I decided to bring a little bit of colour to Inverness to mark one year since she had turned vegan as it's a huge turning point for anyone who has made the change, so it was great to mark the occasion.
"We did it to engage with the public and to enforce the message of people can choose not to be a part of the violent institution that enslaves and slaughters... animals every year.
"I do a lot of different forms of activism, this is a more light-hearted one, but there is a lot of pain and suffering that we witness and therefore that we feel, not to the same degree as we are not the victims in this, but we are recognising what the animals are forced to go through every moment of their lives before they're cut short.
"If you are against animal abuse, sexual violence, exploitation and murder then you should be vegan. The message that we gave out was in the hope that people would start questioning their morals, ethics and choices to hopefully enforce better choices."
Her message to the public was: "To anyone that isn't vegan should ask themselves if they're against animal abuse then why are you not vegan?"
Chloe is a French artist who spends her time creating tattoos and murals. She came up with the design and message which was plastered across the Eastgate tunnel yesterday afternoon.
Bee became vegan while working at a local sexual violence clinic three years ago and said: "I realised I was complete hypocrite for supporting people who had been abused, and yet I was paying for that to happen to millions of other females.
"I called myself an animal lover and feminist, but the truth was that before I became vegan, I exploited women."
She added: "I'm always asked if I miss cheese or bacon, but the truth is I regret every time I ever consumed anything that came from someone else's body because there is no justification for that other than ignorance or selfishness."
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Whilst her vegan graffiti stunt was a more light-hearted piece of activism, Bee Vegan has previously participated in more gruelling events such as an attempted direct save of an animal, a month-long charity walk, and street activism alongside a global organisation known as 'anonymous for the voiceless'.
Bee now wants to see a "world where animals are no longer exploited for their bodies and an end to the practice of speciesism: treating members of one species as morally more important than members of other species".
