A VIDEO taken from the Gazette’s Facebook Live, has gone viral on TikTok, after a cyclist was injured at a protest outside the Basingstoke McDonald’s distribution hub.
Animal rights protesters blockaded the distribution hub on Saturday (May 22) as part of a national campaign against the fast-food firm.
Animal Rebellion blocked the entrance and exit to the site on Houndmills Road with bamboo structures and vans emblazoned with 'McDestruction' as part of their protest.
The viral TikTok video shows a short clip from the Gazette’s Facebook Live, where a teenage boy injured himself after cycling into a rope used to support one of the protest structures.
Police and Animal Rebellion protesters rushed to help the teen after he was knocked off his bike.
Protesters then covered the wires with high visibility jackets and paper for the remainder of the demonstration, to make the structure visible to members of the public.
Now the video circulating on the Chinese-owned social networking service, has received more than 22,400 views.
Protesters sitting on top of the structure planned to block the distribution centre for 24 hours, wearing adult nappies to prevent the need to get off of the structure.
But the blockade which began at 4am, ended at just after 8.30pm, with eight people having been arrested on suspicion of trespass.
Chief Inspector Matt Reeves said: “Everyone has the right to free speech and protest, however, officers will take necessary action against the few who deliberately choose to act outside the law.”
Animal rebellion wanted McDonalds to commit to becoming meat-free by 2025 with Angela Duncan, a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion, telling the Gazette: "We are targeting all the distribution centres of McDonald's. It will affect around 1300 sites.
"We know that it is part of a system, they are not the only ones contributing to the climate crisis."
She continued: "They should be leading us forward to a more considerate future and currently they do not. They are not addressing that agriculture is one of the leading causes of the climate crisis."
"With all the food the supply to so many we know that there are ways that they could be doing this that are friendlier."
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