I Was Hung Upside Down Outside KFC in London – Here’s Why
Earlier today, I was one of two nearly nude women who were hung upside down outside a KFC in Brixton, south London.
Covered in ‘bruises’ and ‘blood’, we had our necks hacked at by a ‘slaughterhouse worker’ with a prop knife – prompting a shocked reaction from passersby.
As horrific as this display might have looked, it is nothing compared to what happened to the chickens whose bodies were being sold right behind us.
What’s Really in a Chicken Bucket?
Click the gallery below to see the images:
Chickens are gentle, curious, and social animals who form complex social structures and dream when they sleep just like we do. They also feel pain in the same way as humans do – but they are by far the most factory-farmed land animal on earth. In the UK alone, we kill 1 billion of them each year.
Soon after birth, chickens are subjected to painful mutilations, like having their beaks and toes severed. Chickens are bred to grow unnaturally fast, meaning they reach ‘slaughter weight’ at just six weeks old. They are just babies when they are killed. Their huge size causes them to suffer from broken bones and other injuries, meaning they spend their life in pain and are often unable to access food and water on farms.
UK chicken farms are the stuff of nightmares. They are often huge sheds filled with hundreds of thousands of chickens, each with an area the size of an A4 sheet of paper to live in. The sheds fill up quickly with ammonia from waste, which burns the chickens’ lungs and feet. As a result of living in their own waste, many birds also develop “hock burns” or “ammonia burns” – painful lesions that appear on chickens’ legs. You’ve probably seen them on chicken flesh sold in supermarkets.
If It’s Not OK for Humans, It’s Not OK for Chickens
At the action today, I experienced a tiny fraction of what chickens endure at the slaughterhouse. The terrified birds are strung upside down in metal shackles on a moving conveyor line. They are then put through an electrified water bath that should render them unconscious – but they are often awake when they have their throats cut.
I was safe today. I wasn’t injured, and I knew I’d be able to go home after the action. But for chickens, their final moments – after six painful weeks of life – are spent disoriented, struggling, cut open, and killed.
If seeing a human being hung upside down and covered in fake blood made you uncomfortable, spare a thought for the chickens who suffer this very real torment right now in abattoirs across the UK.
Vegan Is the Norm
There’s no excuse to treat birds with such disregard and violence, when we can thrive on a vegan diet.
And if you don’t feel like you can give up the taste of chicken, vegan chicken is not only kinder, but also healthier and better for the planet. It has 100% taste with 0% cruelty. You don’t have to go on a big expedition to find it either – all it takes is a trip to your local supermarket. Even KFC offers a vegan chicken burger!
Help Chickens Today
PETA’s action today was a powerful reminder of the suffering that millions of chickens endure for a moment of taste. If you’re outraged by what you’ve seen, please take personal responsibility and stop eating birds. Please try going vegan for 30 days – sign our pledge and you’ll receive helpful tips and recipes along the way.
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