Photos: PETA U.K.’s Stilt-Walking ‘Referee’ Calls On World Cup Fans to Go Vegan

For Immediate Release:
December 12, 2022

Contact:
Robin Goist 202-483-7382

Today, PETA U.K.’s giant “referee” on stilts stood tall for animals, the planet, and human health as she encouraged World Cup fans, “Give Meat and Dairy the Red Card: Go Vegan.” Photos are available here.

“Rejecting meat, eggs, and dairy is something we can all do to save animals, the planet, and ourselves,” says the stilt-walker, 36-year-old Teodora Zglimbea from Romania. “I came to Doha to spread the positive message that soccer players and fans can score big every day by enjoying vegan meals.”

Chickens killed for their flesh are crammed by the tens of thousands into filthy sheds and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. Pigs’ tails are chopped off, their teeth are cut with pliers, and males are castrated—all without painkillers. At slaughterhouses, workers shoot cows in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them up by one leg, cut their throats, and skin them.

In addition to saving the lives of nearly 200 animals every year, each person who goes vegan shrinks their carbon footprint and their risk of contracting cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases. Soccer stars Alex Morgan and Chris Smalling, along with numerous other top athletes, including Chris Paul, Cam Newton, Lewis Hamilton, and Tia Blanco, credit vegan eating for their peak performances.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.