PETA activists wear lettuce bikinis in Istanbul animal rights protest
Aziz Özen - ISTANBUL
Animal rights activists from the U.S.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) staged a protest by wearing lettuce bikinis in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district on Aug. 17.The protest was staged at the central Kadıköy Square on the Asian side of the city, where PETA’s vegan envoys Ashley Byrne and Mysti Lee issued a call for people to not use animal products.
Holding banners reading “Start fresh, go vegan,” they said they were visiting Turkey as part of an “Invitation to Veganism” protest tour to eight different countries. Turkey is the last stop of the tour.
They posed for journalists by wearing lettuce bikinis after they dressed off their bathrobes.
“A few years ago we came to Turkey asking people to stop wearing fur. People were very polite and kind. Today, we have come back again to talk about animal rights,” said Bryne.
Byrne and Lee put an end to the protest after police officers arrived at the scene, leaving the square to return to their hotel.
