Some of the weirdest, most attention-grabbing green protests are gross, like the group of students who skinned and ate a cat – and then posted the photos on Facebook. Others are hilarious, like the world’s tiniest eco-terrorists scaling a Lego power plant. But (almost) all of them have managed to publicize important causes like animal rights, climate change and oil dependency. These 14 environmental protests may be bizarre, but they certainly got people talking.
Woman Changes Name to CutOut Dissection.com
(image via: Peta.org)
A Virginia animal rights activist changed her name from Jennifer Thornburg to CutOut Dissection.com to protest dissection in schools. Thornburg – er, Dissection.com – proudly bears her new moniker on her driver’s license.
“I changed my name in order to raise awareness about the 6 million animals who are killed and processed for dissection each year. These animals suffer painful deaths and their bodies are then used in labs, when computer stimulations, diagrams, or 3D models could be used instead. Cutting up animals in school sends the message to students that an animal’s life is worthless. I don’t think that’s a message teachers should be sending.”
Tiny Terrorists Occupy LEGO Power Plant
(image via: Indymedia.org)
The world’s smallest climate campaigners took over a Kingsnorth Power Plant replica at Legoland, decorating it with a tiny banner reading “Stop Climate Change”. Six one-inch-tall campaigners can be seen unfurling the banner, as tiny Lego police watch from the ground.
Canadian Governor Eats a Raw Seal Heart
(image via: ChineseinVancouver.ca)
In what could be considered an anti-green protest, Canadian Governor General Michelle Jean publicly skinned and gutted a freshly slaughtered seal, cut out the heart and ate a piece of it raw. Jean says it was an act of solidarity with Canada’s Inuit seal hunters after the European Union called seal hunting “inherently inhumane”.
Protester Glues Himself to British Prime Minister
(image via: CNN.com)
Dan Glass wanted to make sure that his message to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stuck – so he poured some super glue in his palm before shaking Brown’s hand at an award ceremony. Glass, who is affiliated with climate change group Plane Stupid, said “I’ve just superglued myself to your arm. Don’t panic. This is a non-violent protest.” The prime minister freed himself after about 30 seconds, and took the stunt in good humor.
Students Eat Cat, Get Kicked Off Facebook
(image via: The Morningstarr)
Three journalism students from Denmark got their Facebook profiles deleted after posting graphic pictures of themselves butchering, cooking and eating a feral cat. The students, who partook in the stunt in what many called a misguided effort to draw attention to factory farming, say the cat was killed humanely and were surprised by the negative reaction from the public.
“It’s hypocritical for us to spend thousands on our pets, yet buy the cheapest pork from Netto that comes from pigs that have lived a horrid life. And just why is it that it’s worse to eat a cat than a pig?”
Lingerie-Wearing Protesters Wield Chainsaws
(image via: Victoria’s Dirty Secret)
Lingerie-clad models are an all-too-easy way to attract attention, and an activist group called ForestEthics used that to their advantage, but took it one step further, equipping the models with chain saws. This 2006 effort resulted in Victoria’s Secret parent company Limited Brands agreeing not to print their catalogs on paper manufactured from endangered Boreal forests in Canada.
Farmers Cover Police in Milk and Hay
(images via: The Telegraph)
2,500 farmers from across the European Union gathered in Brussels last October to protest collapsing milk prices, spraying riot police with milk straight from cow udders and then coating them in hay fired from a silo. Milk supply in Europe far exceeds demand and farmers claim they are forced to sell their milk for below cost.
Nude Cyclists Ride Against Oil Dependency
(image via: Monsters and Critics)
Every year, when thousands of cyclists shed their clothes and tour their communities in the buff, they’re not just acting out exhibitionist fantasies. They’re protesting indecent exposure to vehicle emissions, and the negative social and environmental impacts of a car dominated culture. The rides take place around the world, typically during the summer months.
Flash Mob Sings Protest at Whole Foods
(image via: SF Gate)
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Shoppers at a Whole Foods in Oakland, California got a big surprise when a flash mob began singing and dancing “Hey Mackey”, to the tune of ‘80s hit “Hey Mickey”. The mob was protesting Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s Wall Street Journal op-ed on health care reform, in which he suggested that voluntary contributions by the rich to a health care fund would be a better solution than government health care reform.
Sea Shepherd Crew Throws Rotten Butter Bombs
(image via: Sea Shepherd/ABC)
In a protest that was mercilessly parodied on South Park, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society threw 24 liters of rotten butter at a Japanese harpoon whaling vessel in February 2009. Three of the whalers reportedly vomited from the rancid smell, but captain Paul Watson insists that the attack was a reasonable way for the activists to send their message.
“They’re trying to get sympathy for their illegal activities down here. But we’ve got a doctor on board and we said ‘would you like us to come down and examine the injuries?’ And of course they said no.”
Harrison Ford Waxes His Chest for Deforestation
(image via: Ecorazzi)
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In a bizarre protest against deforestation, Hollywood legend Harrison Ford had ‘an acre’ of his chest hair waxed by an aesthetician as Access Hollywood reporters looked on. Ford, who is Vice-Chairman of Conservation International, wanted to call attention to the massive amounts of greenhouse gases emitted when forest lands are burned.
“It hurts… every little bit of rainforest that gets ripped out over there,” Ford said.
Greenpeace Moves Dead Fin Whale to Japanese Embassy
(image via: Spiegel Online)
The Sea Shepherd crew aren’t the only ones who like to use gross-out tactics in an attempt to save the whales. Greenpeace tried to force the Japanese government into a reality check by dumping a dead whale on the streets in front of the Japanese embassy in Berlin. Japanese whalers kill thousands of whales every year, defying an international ban through a loophole that allows whaling for ‘scientific’ purposes. But, Japanese lawmakers were largely unperturbed by the whale carcass.
Greenpeace Trash Can Man Gets Arrested
(images via: RobotNine.com)
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Tip for Greenpeace activists: Russian police don’t mess around. Witness one protester donning a giant, smiley green trash can costume and getting arrested, carried and shoved into a narrow bus door by a gang of annoyed cops. Trash can man was doing little other than walking down the sidewalk, but apparently that’s enough to get shut down fast in Siberia.
Blow-Up Dolls and KFC Don’t Mix, Unless You’re PETA
(image via: The Huffington Post)
Nobody does weird animal rights protests quite like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. From putting Playboy Playmates in bikinis made out of lettuce to dressing like the KKK to oppose purebreeding dogs, PETA knows how to catch the eyes of the public. One particularly weird demonstration involved placing vulgar blow-up dolls in front of a Thailand KFC with a sign that read, “Animal abuse blows!”



