This is the shocking moment a group of vegans holding a peaceful protest were attacked by an ‘aggresive’ farmer who they claimed told them to ‘eat a bacon sandwich’.
Activist group, Thame Market Animal Save, were laying roses for animals who were being sent to slaughter on Valentine’s Day.
Ed Winters, 23, from London known as ‘Earthling Ed’ was among the vegans who were protesting the animals going to slaughter in the Thame Livestock Market, Oxfordshire, yesterday afternoon.
Mr Winters said a couple of activists were upset because there was a man and a woman in a car laughing at them for laying roses at the entrance of the market in a vigil to mark the lives of the sheep being sold by farmers for slaughter.
The man – believed to be a farmer – had a trailer to transport animals at the back of his car.
Mr Winters told MailOnline: ‘I asked them, “What’s the joke..? Could you explain what’s so funny?”
Activist group, Thame Market Animal Save, were laying roses for animals who were being sent to slaughter on Valentine’s Day
Ed Winters, 23, from London known as ‘Earthling Ed’ was among the vegans who were protesting the animals going to slaughter in the Thame Livestock Market, Oxfordshire
The man – believed to be a farmer – had a trailer to transport animals at the back of his car
‘He said, “You look like p*****, what are you doing?”
I told him we are laying down roses to pay our respects for the animals about to be slaughtered.’
The farmer then on to tell Mr Winters he looked ill and ‘should eat a bacon sandwich’.
Mr Winters replied ‘why, so I can get cancer?’
Mr Winters claims the man called him a ‘p****’ and told him ‘he needs a bacon sandwich’
The farmer got angry after Mr Winters confronted them for laughing at him, and then ‘attacked’ him
Thames Valley Police confirmed to MailOnline that a police officer witnessed the fracas and saw the ‘farmer’ was taken to Thame police station
After the man laughed at Mr Winters, he inquired ‘what’s so funny?’.
He then told him to get off his car and and started shoving the activist, before being taken to Thame Police station by officers that saw the fracas.
Thames Valley Police told MailOnline: ‘A man pushed the victim outside Thame Livestock Market just before midday.
‘An investigation is being carried out but no arrests have been made at this time.
‘If anyone has any information about the incident please call police on 101 and quote reference number 258 (14/2). ‘