Vegan activist Tash Peterson stages protest at KFC in Perth

Vegan activist Tash Peterson has sparked outrage after pouring fake blood on the floor of a KFC to protest animal cruelty.

The 29-year-old Perth resident regularly made headlines for her animal rights protests in supermarkets, restaurants and shopping malls, with some calling her a hero and others dismissing her as a nuisance.

On her last attempt, she walked into the fast food franchise in Perth, with a small handful of customers and staff inside dressed as a slaughterhouse worker.

The stunt appeared to backfire as social media users slammed her use of fake blood, saying she was creating more work for the staff tasked with cleaning up the mess.

Mrs. Peterson was filmed walking into the KFC and pouring red paint all over the floor

On Mrs. Peterson’s back were the words in red: “Your ‘food’ was fighting for their lives, that should leave a bad taste in your mouth” and “Watch Dominion,” a confrontational documentary about animal rights.

She then poured red paint on the floor while other members of her group held signs and played images of a chicken farm on a handheld screen.

Footage of the protest was posted to her Instagram page with the caption, “KFC has blood on their hands and so do you if you’re not vegan.”

Several social media users remained divided with some praising her for the bold statement she made.

“You’re a superhero. I admire your strength,” someone said.

“Thank you for standing up for those who can’t speak,” said another.

A group of followers disagreed with the protest, claiming that the mess not only created more mess for workers to clean, but also created an unsafe environment for customers.

“Yes, I’m vegan, but KFC doesn’t care if you do this. And the poor worker who’s on his feet all day and has to clean it up won’t understand,” one wrote.

“I hope you didn’t force the KFC service staff, who already have an extremely bad job, to clean it up,” another added.

“There are only half a dozen people inside. What was the point of that,” wrote a third.

“Does this kind of protest really work or does it just hurt more than it converts?” added another.

“Agree with veganism, but creating a hugely unsafe area where disabled people like me can fall so easily is really not a win,” one social media user wrote.

The Perth native has gained a large following for her high-profile activism

Diners seemed unimpressed, as commenters on the video asked who was going to clean up the mess

Despite being labeled an annoyance, it seems Ms Peterson is far from alone with Australia’s changing attitude to vegan products.

Data collected by Vegan Australia shows that between 2019 and 2022 meat or dairy free products on the Woolworths website will more than triple from 550 to 1800.

“With the rise of ‘flexitarian’ customers looking to add variety to their diets, many customers are buying both meat and vegan alternatives, such as ground beef and plant-based burgers,” said a spokeswoman for Woolworths.

Coles has also seen a similar increase in interest in the products.

According to international food magazine Chef’s Pencil, which analyzed online search trends, Australia is now the second most popular country for vegans in the world after the UK.