Milk protest turns sour

Published on Saturday 12 October 2002 01:00

POLICE had to break up an animal rights protest yesterday when schoolchildren in Aberdeen pelted activists with cartons of milk.

Sean Gifford of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and an unidentified man in a cow-suit had planned a peaceful protest at the gates of the Grammar School to let pupils know about the claimed hazards in milk.

But they had to be rescued by two female police officers when the teenage pupils launched a violent protest of their own.

About 100 children, shouting "milk for the masses" and carrying banners, surrounded Mr Gifford and his "cow" partner and drenched them both in milk for about ten minutes. The police eventually intervened and escorted the PETA members back to their car.

Mr Gifford said: "I have travelled all over the UK with this protest and I have never seen anything like this before. It must be something to do with children in Aberdeen. I think they just got a bit over-excited. I’m sure they will still go home and think about our message."

Yesterday’s protest was the latest in PETA’s nationwide drive to publicise what it claims are dangers in drinking milk. They have been handing out cards with cartoon pictures of characters suffering from wind, spots and obesity as a result of dairy products.

The cards tell kids to "give cows a break" and "be kind to animals and your butt and your gut" by avoiding milk.

But one pupil, Alan Smith, 16, said: "This is a stupid idea. We should be encouraged to drink milk and I certainly won’t stop drinking milk just because a man has dressed up as a cow outside my school."