A celebrity chef who banned vegans from his restaurant has clashed with a prominent animal rights activist who stormed the venue in a fervent protest.
Vegan activist Tash Peterson claims she suffered cuts and bruises following Friday night’s ‘chaotic’ protest at the Fyre restaurant in Connolly, north of Perth.
The restaurant, owned by chef John Mountain, posted a statement to its Facebook page last month announcing that vegans were no longer welcome “due to mental health reasons.”
The ban came after a complaint from a vegan eatery.
Ms Peterson and a dozen other activists stormed into Fyre, with a loudspeaker loudly playing the sound of pigs squealing in distress before being slaughtered.
She shared footage of the protest with Ms. Peterson as she came face to face with Mr. Mountain during an intense standoff.
“You have blood on your hands!” Mrs. Peterson yells at the chef, who then gives her the rude finger.
Vegan activist Tash Peterson claims she suffered cuts and bruises after Friday night’s ‘chaotic’ protest at Fyre restaurant in Connolly, north of Perth
Celebrity chef John Mountain drags a vegan activist out of his restaurant on Friday night
Ms Peterson stormed into Fyre along with a dozen other activists, with a loudspeaker loudly playing the sounds of pigs squealing in distress before being slaughtered
‘Psychopath!’ she added before she and her fellow activists were dragged out of the restaurant.
At one point, Mr. Mountain is seen restraining Mrs. Peterson with his hand on her shoulder.
He also grabbed another protester by her hoodie and dragged her outside.
Ms Peterson described Friday night’s scenes as ‘chaotic’
Tash Peterson (pictured with friend) organized the protest in response to the Fyre restaurant banning vegans
In a video filmed after the stunt and shared on her Instagram page, Ms Peterson claimed she was physically assaulted during the incident.
“So we just caused a disturbance at the Fyre restaurant,” she says in the video.
“It was absolutely f**king chaotic.”
“I was grabbed by the neck and it’s a bit bruised at the moment, I have cuts and bruises.
“Because there were 12 activists, there were probably at least some of us who were also physically assaulted, but this is just the backlash we face as animal rights activists.”
Ms. Peterson is known for her disruptive and controversial protest tactics
Mr Mountain said the ban on vegans followed a complaint from a vegan customer who asked the venue to accommodate her dietary requirements.
Although the chef had agreed to accommodate the client’s needs, the request eluded him when he had to cater for a private function.
At that time, the restaurant could only offer the woman vegetables.
Mr. Mountain said the woman sent an extensive complaint to the company’s Facebook page, adding, while rightly so, that she had made it “personal”.
After Friday night’s saga, Mr. Mountain revealed that he will not stand down for the “bullying” vegans who attack him.
He photoshopped Ms. Peterson’s face onto a photo of him holding a baby pig carcass and shared the image on his Facebook page.
“One of my biggest issues with vegans is bullying, because this is me being bullied… and I’m not a victim in any way,” he said. The Western Australian.
Following the social media statement banning vegans, Fyre claimed the restaurant was inundated with one-star reviews on Google.
He said many chefs “despised” vegans and that Ms. Peterson, whom he called “Trasher,” could expect a letter from his lawyers.
She is currently banned from all licensed premises in WA.
“I’m just a guy trying to run a small business in WA’s northern suburbs. It should end now. Stop giving everyone this platform – just end it,” he told the publication.
“Peace and love, vegans.”
Mr. Mountain added that the stunt had tripled his restaurant’s sales.
“Thank you vegans, I love you,” he said.
Restaurant Fyre issued a statement last month banning vegans