People Hung Upside Down in Front of KFC... Why Did PETA Stage This Extreme Performance?

'Chicken Slaughter' Performance Staged in Front of London KFC
Dramatic Protest Urges Shift to Plant-Based Diets

Animal rights activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) staged a performance protest in front of a KFC store in central London, recreating the process of chicken slaughter and shocking local citizens. Through provocative staging, they sought to raise awareness about the realities of broiler chicken slaughter and called for an end to the consumption of animal-based foods.

Activists from the animal rights organization PETA in front of a KFC in central London, mimicking the slaughtering method of edible chickens. PETA UK Instagram

According to reports from the UK Daily Mail and other foreign media outlets on January 21 (local time), PETA activists held a demonstration on a street in Lambeth, Brixton, London, reenacting the method by which broiler chickens are slaughtered. The protest took place near a KFC fast-food chain store, drawing the attention of passersby.

'Chicken Slaughter' Performance Staged in Front of KFC Store

A video released by PETA on social media that day showed scenes from the performance mimicking the chicken slaughter process. One female activist, wearing a form-fitting beige bodysuit, was shackled at the ankles and hung upside down against a wall, symbolically representing the situation chickens face before slaughter.

Subsequently, a man dressed in blue workwear approached and pretended to slit the woman's throat with a mock meat-cutting knife, followed by a staged splatter of artificial blood. During the performance, one of the female protesters also acted as if she were screaming.

At the protest site, a placard was displayed reading, "Chickens: Shackled and bled out. Please, try vegan." Observing pedestrians appeared shocked, pulling out their phones to record the protest scenes.

Protest Coincides with Veganuary... Slaughter Methods Spark Renewed Debate

Protesters holding signs and placards at the protest site. Photo by Peta UK Instagram

This protest was held to coincide with "Veganuary," a campaign encouraging people to try a vegan diet for the month of January. Veganuary is a global campaign promoting a vegan diet throughout January each year, and PETA used this opportunity to urge British citizens to stop consuming animal-based foods.

PETA stated, "Chickens, like humans, sleep, dream, and worry about the future," and argued, "They do not want to be killed." The organization added, "We hope people will choose delicious plant-based foods instead of cutting up chickens."

Meanwhile, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) explained that most chickens raised for food in the UK are slaughtered using gas. However, it was reported that some slaughterhouses still use the method of hanging chickens upside down, stunning them with electricity, and then cutting their throats.

Such slaughter methods have long been criticized by animal rights groups. They have raised concerns, stating, "Hanging conscious birds on chains causes extreme stress and suffering," and "There are also cases where chickens are slaughtered before they are fully unconscious."