Update: ‘Chicken Wars’ Escalate at TenderFest as Security Steals PETA’s Slaughter Display, Makes Ominous Gun Reference

For Immediate Release:
October 10, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA’s protest outside TenderFest took a dramatic turn this morning when the pro-vegan display—set up on public property near Navy Pier to show festivalgoers the immense suffering behind every chicken “tender”—was unlawfully broken up by Navy Pier security personnel, who stole PETA’s equipment before pointedly telling one animal advocate that they were armed with a gun. Video footage of the confrontation is available here.

Credit: PETA

“TenderFest is apparently so afraid of people seeing what happens to chickens before they become tenders that its henchmen resorted to illegally shutting down a peaceful public display and threatening the kind people speaking up for birds,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is considering our next steps, and no strong-arm tactics will deter us from showing everyone how chickens are slaughtered for a fleeting taste.”

Our previous news release with more information about today’s display can be seen here.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a chicken is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram. 

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