Animal rights activists from PETA staged a graphic demonstration during the grand opening of Ocala’s first Raising Cane’s on Tuesday, using “blood,” a bullhorn, and a call for veganism to protest the chain’s use of chicken.
As dozens of residents lined up at for the chance to win free chicken for a year on Tuesday morning, a handful of PETA protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside of the new restaurant, which is located at 2410 SW Collage Road in Ocala.
Demonstrators utilized yellow caution tape and sauce buckets filled with fake blood, which they eventually splattered across the pavement to symbolize what the organization calls the “bloody reality” of the poultry industry.
Protesters also held signs featuring messages such as “I’m me. Not Meat. See the Individual: Go Vegan,” “Save Animals’ Lives. Please, Go Vegan,” and “No Love. Just cruelty,” mocking the company’s catchphrase.
One demonstrator used a megaphone to amplify chants and blare a siren, competing with the high-volume music and the grand opening festivities occurring on the restaurant’s property.
According to a press release issued by the organization, the “chaos at Cane’s” was designed to highlight the treatment of chickens in factory farms.
“Chickens are social learners who watch and emulate one another,” the organization stated, adding that in the meat industry, birds are often confined to crowded sheds before being slaughtered. “Anyone against cruelty to birds should leave them in peace, not pieces.”
The demonstration lasted from approximately 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., coinciding with the restaurant’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
PETA representatives noted that Raising Cane’s has become a frequent target for such protests due to its rapid nationwide expansion.
The Ocala demonstration follows a string of similar “bloody” protests at other Raising Cane’s openings across the country this year, including recent events in California and New York.
Since it was founded in 1996, the chain has reached over 940 locations as of last month.