Hey, Lent Observers: ‘I’m ME, Not MEAT,’ Fish Proclaims on New PETA Ads

Bus Ads Near Churches Urge Believers to Show Compassion for All God’s Creatures by Going Vegan for Lent

For Immediate Release:
March 5, 2019

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Just in time for Lent—and because Providence has one of the highest populations of Catholics in the U.S.—PETA is placing ads on bus shelters this week that encourage observers of Lent to leave all animals (including fish on Fridays) off their plates, both during and after the 40-day season. The ads show a fish’s face next to the words “I’m ME, Not MEAT. Go Vegan for Lent.”

The ads are located at 674 Westminster St., facing east, and 520 Hope St., facing south. They’re close to All Saints Memorial Church and Providence Presbyterian Church, respectively.

“Just like humans, fish feel pain and fear, have unique personalities, and value their own lives,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s ads urge people to protect all sensitive animals from the hell of the meat industry by choosing merciful vegan meals during Lent and beyond.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, which is a supremacist worldview. More fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined, yet they have no legal protection from abuse. They slowly suffocate or are crushed to death when they’re dragged out of the oceans in huge nets, and the throats and stomachs of those who survive are cut open on the decks of fishing boats.

Vegan meals spare other animals suffering, too: In today’s meat and dairy industries, chickens’ throats are cut while they’re still conscious, piglets are castrated without painkillers, and mother cows are separated from their beloved babies shortly after birth. Vegans are also less prone to suffering from heart disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes than meat-eaters are.

PETA offers easy vegan meal plans for people who go vegan for Lent (available here and here) as well as a free vegan starter kit full of recipes, tips, and more.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.