The owners of a family-run butchers say they being terrorised by vegans who have scrawled graffiti on the front of their shop and threatened to petrol bomb it.
In the latest attack by Animal rights activists, demonstrators sprayed red wording across the shopfront, with the words ‘Stop Killing Animals. Go vegan.’
The logo of the Animal Liberation Front – an international group which encourages direct action in pursuit of animal rights – was also sprayed underneath.
Since the attack three weeks ago, vegans from across the world have taken to facebook to send the business dozens of threatening messages and one stars reviews.
Activists have daubed Marlow Butchers in graffiti and even threatened to petrol bomb it
Now owner Wayne Marlow – who runs the shop in Ashford, Kent, with his father Trevor and brother Martin – says vegans from around the world are ‘terrorising’ the family with non-stop threats and harassment.
Mr Marlow said: ‘On the internet it has been very threatening.
‘It has got ridiculous – activists from as far away as Australia are getting involved.
‘The internet is the worst thing as not only are they threatening to physically destroy our business, but they are also trying to ruin our reputation online, too, by leaving negative reviews and comments.
‘They want to close us down and people are threatening to smash the windows or petrol bomb the store.
‘We live in fear and we’re up worrying at night – they are terrorising us.’
Marlow butchers, pictured after the graffiti was cleaned off, was attacked on May 7
One facebook user said in a review of the butchers that ‘chopping up the corpses of innocent animals and using their flesh for food is barbaric’. Pictured is meat sold by Marlow Butchers
Trevor, a butcher for 50 years, was so worried that he reported the threats to police earlier this month.
The graffiti attack took place on the last Bank Holiday, May 7.
After that the Marlow family posted a Facebook update which thanked the community but urged them not to feel ‘hatefulness’ towards vegans.
It read: ‘We do not wish for this incident to cause any hatefulness to vegans. Please understand that this was probably the work of activists and is not a true reflection of vegans!’
But since then, the anti-meat campaigners have stepped things up, with online reviews becoming particularly vicious.
A Facebook user called Henry Washington Hutchings left a one star review on Facebook, adding: ‘Chopping up the corpses of innocent animals and using their flesh for food is barbaric.’
Manthy James also left a one star review, adding: ‘It’s no longer a personal choice when a victim is involved.
‘Are your taste buds really more important than a life?’
Following the attack animal rights activists wrote negative Facebook reviews
Mr Marlow added: ‘We have been here for 54 years now since my dad took over the business and we are just supplying something that someone wants and is in demand.
‘Every supermarket sells meat; we don’t get why they’re just targeting us.
‘The threats are coming from people claiming to be vegans but they used superglue and paint when they vandalised the store, both of which contain animal by-products.
‘We can’t thank the community enough. Everyone is trying to do their best to help us.’
People took to Facebook to slam the animal rights activist who have attacked the butchers
Mr Marlow added: ‘We have been here for 54 years now since my dad took over the business and we are just supplying something that someone wants and is in demand.
‘Every supermarket sells meat; we don’t get why they’re just targeting us.
‘The threats are coming from people claiming to be vegans but they used superglue and paint when they vandalised the store, both of which contain animal by-products.
‘We can’t thank the community enough. Everyone is trying to do their best to help us.’
The owners of Marlow Butchers, pictured before the graffiti attack, are now living in fear
The number of independent UK butchers has gone into freefall since the rise of the supermarket.
In 1990 there were an estimated 15,000, but by 2015 that number had dropped to just 6,000, a reduction of about 60%.
Around 75% of butchers have been in the trade for more than 20 years, but there are a shortage of youngsters being trained in the trade.
A spokesman for Kent Police said officers are investigating the report of ‘malicious communications and harassment’ aimed at the business.