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Two men who ate raw squirrels in front of a vegan stall in England have been convicted of a public order offence.
Deonisy Khlebnikov, 22, and Gatis Lagzdins, 29, denied “using disorderly behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress” during their trial in London.
They claimed they were at the Soho Vegan Food Market in the British capital on March 30 to raise awareness about the dangers of abstaining from meat.
One of the men was wearing a T-shirt with the words “VEGANISM = MALNUTRITION” printed on the front while he bit into the dead rodent.
But the City of London Magistrates’ Court found them guilty on Monday.
Khlebnikov was fined £200 and ordered to pay a surcharge while Lagzdins, who did not show up for his trial, was fined £400 as well as the surcharge.
"Deonisy Khlebnikov and Gatis Lagzdins claimed they were against veganism and were raising awareness about the dangers of not eating meat when they publicly consumed raw squirrels,” Natalie Clines, a senior prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, said.
"But by choosing to do this outside a vegan food stall and continuing with their disgusting and unnecessary behaviour despite requests to stop, including from a parent whose child was upset by their actions, the prosecution was able to demonstrate that they had planned and intended to cause distress to the public.
"Their premeditated actions caused significant distress to members of the public, including young children.”