Foie Gras Protesters Give Me Yet Another Excuse To Run A Puppy Photo

Yes, it’s once again time for another foie gras protest. From an “Alert Philadelphia” email (really):

Today, Friday, August 17th, approximately 7-10 members of the Hugs for Puppies group will protest from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Tinto Restaurant located at 120 S. 20th Street and then at 7:15 PM the group will protest Amada Restaurant at 217 Chestnut Street for selling Foie Gras. [Should that be capitalized? Get Angry Grammarian to check.—dmac]

The Philadelphia Police Department’s Civil Affairs Unit has assigned personnel to this event. The Commanding Officers of the Central Police Division, the Sixth and Center City Districts have been notified of this activity.

Let’s just hope rival foie gras protesters Pennsylvania Advocates for the Animals don’t show up, or there could be a rumble. Like West Side Story or the “Beat It” video.

Foie Gras Protesters Turn On Each Other

Yeah, not only are there two foie gras protest groups in Philadelphia, but the two separate groups are feuding with each other.

Michael Klein writes the Wynnewood home of chef Guillermo Pernot was protested last Saturday morning by Philadelphia Advocates for the Animals. The nine animal lovers chanted at eight in the morning until the cops told them they were too loud. Pernot, you see, served foie gras while working at Pif in South Philly.

Only, ah, he’s never worked at Pif. And he’s never served foie gras. Klein talked with the Pennsylvania Advocates for the Animals people and apparently the rival group, Hugs for Puppies, gave them bad intel.

Asked for comment, Christopher Semick of PAFA said it was [Nick Cooney of Hugs for Puppies] who had tried to “throw us under the bus” by force-feeding “his unfounded research” to other activists.

“What happened at Mr. Pernot’s home is an embarrassment and is going to do nothing but hinder the achievement of our goal,” Semick said by e-mail.

Soon no one in Philadelphia will be safe from the 15 or so people who are strongly against foie gras. Everyone will have to take a turn being protested in the morning due to these rival groups.

Ducking the issue [Inquirer, 2nd item]
Friday: Free Speech Zone Set Up For Foie Gras Protesters (Includes incredibly cute puppy photo)

Free Speech Zone Set Up For Foie Gras Protesters

The anti-foie gras group Hugs for Puppies (at right: a puppy) will be forced to stay 50 feet from the London Grill in Fairmount on Bastille Day. A judge ruled the group would just hug too many puppies to stand anywhere near the restaurant.

On Bastille Day, the London Grill has a recreation of the storming of the Bastille as people storm, uh, Eastern State Penitentiary. The London Grille site even plugs the foie gras protest, writing “QUACK IF YOU LIKE FOIE GRAS.” Hopefully the duck boats will be involved in this somehow, too.

London Grill owner Terry McNally said: “I think this will make us feel safer as long as they comply with it.”

If Hugs for Puppies do not stay away, the terror alert is expected to be raised to red due to a “gut feeling.”

Anyway, the group can only have four protesters handing out fliers or whatever, but that’s okay since the group only has like four members anyway.

Foie gras protesters must stay 50 feet from restaurant [Inquirer]
[Photo by vzabalza]