Peter Rabbit film ‘mocks allergies’

THE new Peter Rabbit film is facing calls for a boycott over a scene in which bunnies attack a man with blackberries knowing he is allergic to them.

Allergy sufferers said the incident, in which the man quickly becomes seriously ill, amounts to “food bullying”.

Several groups representing allergy sufferers have condemned the scene, prompting the hashtag #boycottpeterrabbit on social media.

The film, a mix of animation and live action, has just been released in the US.

It features the voice of James Corden as Peter Rabbit and there are also voice roles by Daisy Ridley and Margot Robbie, and live action roles played by Domhnall Gleeson, Rose Byrne and Sam Neill.

But a petition by Australian group Global Anaphylaxis Awareness and Inclusivity, which has attracted 4000 names, is calling for Sony Pictures to apologise. It claims the film “mocks the seriousness of allergic disease and is heartbreakingly disrespectful to the families of those that have lost loved ones to anaphylaxis” – a serious allergic reaction.