Mosque Fire Prompts 'Give Peas a Chance' Billboard

Nonviolence Begins at the Table, Says PETA

For Immediate Release:
August 16, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Joplin, Mo. — In the wake of the suspicious burning of a mosque in Joplin last week, PETA is bringing to town its billboard that features the Christian cross, the Muslim star and crescent, the Hindu Aum, and the Jewish Star of David drawn in peas and reads, "Give Peas a Chance—Go Vegan. Nonviolence Begins on Our Plates."

"Maybe if we can relate to who is on our plate, we can start to relate to other human beings we perceive as 'different,'" says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "The most important thing in life is to be kind, and if we are kind to animals by not eating them, all the other kindnesses won't seem so hard to embrace."

PETA points out that everyone shares an interest in living free from violence and fear. But in today's industrialized meat, fishing, and dairy industries, chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, fish are suffocated or cut open while they're still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth. Although people may feel powerless to do something about acts of arson, violence, and hate, we can all make peaceful food choices every time we sit down to eat.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.