For Animals.

Below is the ‘call to action’ speech I wrote and presented for the National Animal Rights Day Event in Wellington 2022.

The trillions of animals who our species mercilessly kills every year, are just like our precious companion animals in all of these ways. Every single one of them was unique. Every single one was not something, but someone. It’s just that there was never a chance for anyone to get to know them. They were seen only as a product. But really, every single one of them was special.

None of them deserved to be reduced to a mere commodity. They do not deserve the mutilations, the abuse, the pain both physical and emotional, they do not deserve the death sentences we assign them the day they are born. What they do deserve is justice. Is freedom. Is protection. At the very least what they deserve is to have someone fighting for them.

Thank you all so much for being those people fighting for animals. We are making a difference. However, it’s not enough. Animals continue to suffer immensely and in incomprehensible numbers.

Unfortunately even though there are heaps of vegans in Aotearoa, a very tiny percentage of them are activists like us. I think this may be because many vegans think that being vegan is enough. As we all know, it is not.

If those vegans who are not activists were to put themselves in the animals position then they too would understand why. Just being vegan would not be enough if they were the victim.

This is not a situation where it’s appropriate to encourage baby steps and meatless Mondays. This is not a situation where bringing a vegan cake to work is enough. Some vegans seem to think that just showing non vegans that vegan food is yummy is enough, but people will not change unless they know the suffering they are causing by eating animal products and understand why they need to change. Who they need to change for. There is no time for easing people in slowly on what happens to animals. Because every day those animals are dying. Every second of every hour, they are being murdered, for food we do not even need. This is an injustice we are talking about. The only way to react to injustice is with real impactful action.

I am not denying that it can be challenging at times to be an activist in a society that tries to make you feel extreme and different, and of course it’s not always comfortable being in the minority. But again, we need people to think, if they were the victim with a knife to their throat, none of that would matter to them.

I have always cared deeply about animals, but I am an introvert and so for a long time, although it broke my heart knowing what is happening to animals, I was too nervous to do much activism that was out of my comfort zone. But then I imagined that I was the one suffering in a filthy shed and that there was someone out there who knew I was suffering and who was able to help me, but chose not to. They let me die because they were too scared to stand up for me. And I could not stand to be that person, who when confronted with someone who needs my help, chooses to do nothing. That’s when I finally got the courage to start doing outreach at cubes and save squares. And since then, I have never said no to any form of activism and am always trying to find more ways to help animals.

The animals need every single compassionate person to think like this. Every single vegan to think like this. To act exactly how they would want someone to act if they were the one being oppressed.

Us activists need to encourage every single vegan to do activism, in every way they can. Whether its stickering, in supermarkets or on toilet doors or in the streets, whether its chalking, or speaking up whenever animals come up in a conversation. Whether it’s going to cubes, or vigils, or protests.

We need vegans to always hold people accountable and to educate people at every opportunity. If there isn’t an animal rights group where they live, then encourage them to start one! We need them to do all this even if it may be inconvenient or uncomfortable, because that’s what they would want someone to do for them, if they were in the animal’s position.

I often hear vegans saying that change is coming and that the future is vegan. But that future world where animals are no longer oppressed, will not be a reality unless we fight for it.

The animals need every single last bit of help they can possibly get. They need every single one of us to fight for them, and to never, ever, give up.