ANIMAL rights activists have bullied restaurant owners into removing foie gras from their menu.
The owners of the restaurant said they have been forced to change their menu after one customer was “visible shaken” by an intimidating abuse from activists.
David and Samantha McHattie who run the Bridge Inn at Calver in Derbyshire, UK, said that they were forced to call the police to intervene in a a protest outside their restaurant.
Despite it only being a few months since their restaurant started serving foie grass, animal rights extremists were quick to target the place.
The owners had pledged to defy the aggressive campaign – which has gone on for three months – but when diners began to be affected they reluctantly back down.
Mr McHattie said: “While the actions of activists have increased awareness and sales of foie grass, their behaviour just continues to reach new depths. Which is totally unacceptable to our guests.
“One regular guest arrived inside the pub visibly shaken after enduring a torrent of intimidating abuse by these so-called animal welfare activists, causing him to call the police.
“Our family and team have been abused to their face and online, often waking up to 80 or more disparaging comments on their Facebook pages.
“Their actions are utterly deplorable. We worry that their escalating attempts to intimidate and abuse will lead to the flash point they and their video cameras crave.”
After animal rights activists launched the campaign against foie gras, The Bridge Inn’s online business page was hit with cyber bullying.
Animal rights extremists left 190 one star reviews, claiming they would delete them if the restaurant owners took foie gras off the menu.
They also attempted to bully genuine customers who left positive reviews on the restaurants page.
Mrs McHattie said: “AR activists are just trying to bully us and our customers.
“One activist compared me to the terrorist involved in the recent London attack while one said any parent who feeds their child meat is as abusive as a parent who gives their child a cigarette.
“Foie gras had been on our menu since we opened, but we did not receive a complaint until a customer posted about it on Facebook.”
A spokesperson for Nottingham Animal Rights said: ‘While this is fantastic news that the Bridge Inn have sense and removed foie gras from the menu, we do not see it as a victory for us.
“It is a victory for the geese and ducks that are abused and tortured every day to produce such a horribly cruel dish.”
