A celebrity chef who banned vegans from his restaurant has clashed with a prominent animal rights activist who stormed the venue in a fiery protest.
Vegan activist Tash Peterson claims she was left with cuts and bruises after the ‘chaotic’ protest on Friday night at Fyre restaurant in Connolly, north of Perth.
The restaurant, owned by chef John Mountain, issued a statement on its Facebook page last month announcing that vegans were no longer welcome ‘due to mental health reasons’.
The ban came after a complaint from a vegan diner.
Ms Peterson, along with a dozen other activists, barged their way inside Fyre, with a speaker loudly playing the sounds of pigs squealing in distress before being slaughtered.
She shared footage from the protest with Ms Peterson seen face-to-face with Mr Mountain during an intense stand-off.
‘You have blood on your hands!’ Ms Peterson screams at the chef who then flips her the rude finger.
Vegan activist Tash Peterson claims she was left with cuts and bruises after the ‘chaotic’ protest on Friday night at Fyre restaurant in Connolly, north of Perth
Celebrity chef John Mountain is seen dragging one vegan activist out of his restaurant on Friday night
Ms Peterson, along with a dozen other activists, barged their way inside Fyre, with a speaker loudly playing the sounds of pigs squealing in distress before being slaughtered
‘Psychopath!’ she added before she and her fellow activists were dragged out of the restaurant.
At one stage, Mr Mountain is seen holding Ms Peterson back with his hand pushing on her shoulder.
He also grabbed another protester by her hoodie and dragged her outside.
Ms Peterson described the scenes as ‘chaotic’ on Friday night
Tash Peterson (pictured with boyfriend) staged the protest in response to Fyre restaurant banning vegans
In a video filmed after the stunt and shared on her Instagram page, Ms Peterson claimed she was physically assaulted during the incident.
‘So we’ve just done a disruption in the restaurant Fyre,’ she says in the video.
‘It was absolutely f**king chaotic’.
‘I was grabbed by the neck and that’s kind of bruised at the moment, I’ve got cuts and bruises.
‘Because there were 12 activists, there were probably at least several of us who were also physically assaulted but this is just the resistance we face as animal rights activists.’
Ms Peterson is known for her disruptive and controversial protest tactics
Mr Mountain said the ban on vegans followed a complaint from a vegan customer who had requested the venue accommodate her dietary requirements.
Although the chef had agreed to adhere to the customer’s needs, the request slipped his mind when he had to cater for a private function.
The restaurant was then only able to offer the woman vegetables.
Mr Mountain said the woman sent a lengthy complaint to the business’ Facebook page, adding while it was warranted, she made it ‘personal’.
After Friday night’s saga, Mr Mountain revealed he will not be stepping down to the ‘bullying’ vegans targeting him.
He photoshopped Ms Peterson’s face onto a picture of him holding the carcass of a baby pig, and shared the image to his Facebook page.
‘One of my biggest issues with vegans is very much any bullying, because this is me being bullied … and I’m not a victim at all, in any way, shape or form,’ he told The West Australian.
Following the social media statement banning vegans, Fyre claimed the restaurant was flooded with one-star reviews on Google.
He said a lot of chefs ‘despised’ vegans and said Ms Peterson, who he nicknamed ‘Trasher’, could expect to receive a letter from his lawyers.
She is currently banned from all licensed premises in WA.
‘I’m just a guy trying to run a little business in the northern suburbs of WA. It should end now. Stop giving everybody this platform — just end it now,’ he told the publication.
‘Peace and love, you vegan f**kers.’
Mr Mountain added the stunt had tripled business for his restaurant.
‘Thank you vegans, I love you,’ he said.
Fyre restaurant issued a statement last month banning vegans
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