Vegan activist Tash Peterson has been criticised after making a controversial remark in an interview with TikTok creator, Mr Sikkant.
During a protest, Mr Sikkant (Jasky Singh), questioned Ms Peterson on her stance.
He suggested that chickens "only have one purpose – to be eaten".
Ms Peterson's response was: "Well, that's no different to saying that Black people only have a purpose to be slaves, right?"
The remark has sparked backlash, with many labelling her comments an offensive and inappropriate comparison.
Critics argue equating the suffering of enslaved Black people - who endured generations of systemic violence, oppression, and dehumanisation - to the treatment of farmed animals is not only offensive but dangerously reductive, erasing the gravity of historical atrocities in the pursuit of an animal rights agenda.
Australia also has a sinister history regarding slavery; with many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people forced into servitude well into the 20th century, and tens of thousands of Melanesian people brought to Australia and used as forced labour from the 1860s to 1904.
One 'Chief Protector' in the Northern Territory noted in 1927 that Indigenous pastoral workers were "kept in a servitude that is nothing short of slavery".
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Ms Peterson has previously claimed "comedian" Isaac Butterfield selling anti-vegan merchandise, was "no different to having a shirt that says 'anti-Black' or 'anti-women'".
It's not the first time Ms Peterson's activism has courted controversy.
In November 2024, she and her partner, Jack Higgs, were ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in damages after a court found them guilty of defaming Perth veterinarian Dr Kay McIntosh.
The court heard that in September 2021, Ms Peterson and Mr Higgs confronted Dr McIntosh at her clinic, accusing her of "eating her patients" and "enslaving animals" because of two pet cockatiels kept at the clinic.
Ms Peterson filmed the interaction and posted an edited video on Facebook, which accused the clinic of promoting animal slavery and received widespread disapproval, causing great distress to Dr McIntosh and her husband.
The court found Ms Peterson and Mr Higgs's claims defamatory and ordered them to pay for the emotional impact their actions caused.
Additionally, Ms Peterson has been banned from all licensed venues in Western Australia under the Liquor Control Act due to her confrontational protests, which often involve fake blood and nudity.
Legal experts have raised concerns about the use of the Act in this context, describing it as an "overreach" and "misuse" of the law.
Attempts by National Indigenous Times to seek further clarification from both Ms Peterson and Mr Sikkant went unanswered.
