Vegan protest’s meaty response

THE West Coast Mayor says the vegan protesters who set up outside a Queenstown pub as the town was buzzing with visitors had tried to provoke a reaction — and they got one in the form of raw steak.

The demonstrators believed it was the owner of the Empire Hotel that was responsible for the meat-throwing incident.

But the owner said he and his staff were not involved in targeting the protesters, who had gathered in the street during The Unconformity festival.

A spokesman at the pub told the Mercury that the hotel was packed and staff were busy at the time and they were not concerned by what was happening across the road.

He said the pub would also not “waste good meat” by tossing it into the street.

In an email, those involved in the police-sanctioned protest claimed the raw meat had been thrown from the balcony of the historic pub.

“The very nature of the demonstration was small and virtually silent,” the email said.

“The manager yelled abuse for a long time before throwing multiple pieces of meat at the very small group, which included a young child and a person in a wheelchair.”

Mayor Phil Vickers said the police had handled the situation efficiently. “The protesters were there to provoke a reaction and that is what they got,” Mr Vickers said.

On social media, the Empire Hotel said it had investigated the incident and could confirm that staff were not involved.

“An identified person who did throw the steak has no association with the hotel and has been dealt with accordingly,” the post said.

“Naturally it is concerning that a mistaken identity has created extreme stress to our publican and his team.”