Animal rights activist protests against meat consumption at Moscow's Red Square

"Claimed to Show Russia to a Dairy Cow"
Previously Eccentric Acts Including Raising Pigs in an Apartment

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seung-woo] A U.S. vegetarian activist known for eccentric behavior was arrested while protesting against meat consumption in Moscow's Red Square, Russia.

On the 4th (local time), foreign media including Reuters and Fox News reported that Alicia Day (34), a U.S. citizen vegetarian and animal rights activist, appeared in the middle of Moscow's Red Square leading a calf and held a solo protest. Red Square is a security zone where protests by ordinary citizens are prohibited.

According to reports, before the protest, Day declared, "I do not pursue or aim for any political purpose," then raised her voice saying, "Animals are not food." Soon after, police arrived to stop the solo protest, but Day refused and was arrested.

Day entered Russia on a tourist visa on the 21st of last month and purchased the calf from a local online marketplace called Avito. In an interview with local media, she stated, "I am currently working at an animal shelter and raising seven pigs and two calves."

After her arrest, Day said, "Instead of eating the calf, I wanted to take it to beautiful places in Russia and show it around. I do not regret it." The cow confiscated by authorities during Day's arrest was reportedly sent to an animal protection center.

Alicia Day, who was arrested, is on trial at a Moscow court. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In 2019, Day also rescued a pig nicknamed 'Jishi Pixie' from an animal slaughterhouse in western England and raised the pig in her small apartment. This fact was later discovered by her landlord, leading to police intervention and media coverage, causing quite a commotion.

At that time, the London police judged that "raising a pig without permission in an apartment is not only a violation of property rights but also animal abuse," and handed the pig over to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

However, Day continued to stir controversy by posting on social media that she was looking for Jishi Pixie and even hired a private detective. She also threatened the association and police, saying, "It will not end until I die."

Meanwhile, Day, arrested in Moscow's Red Square, was sentenced to 13 days of detention for disobeying police orders and fined 20,000 rubles (about 350,000 KRW) for obstructing traffic. The Moscow Tver District Court stated, "The illegal charges are recognized," and explained the sentence by saying, "The vegetarian and animal rights activist clearly used the cow as a propaganda tool."

The Moscow jurisdiction police reported that Day's protest obstructed pedestrian movement in the square and that additional compensation for damages is under review.