Animal Rights Group
Gets Good As It Gives

OKLAHOMA CITY — The radical animal rights movement's nasty little theatrical stunts have come back to haunt them.

Groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have become infamous for staging tasteless attention-getting pranks ranging from throwing bodily fluids and paint on fur wearers to insulting livestock producers.

Saturday a group of men dumped buckets of bloody meat on a gaggle of protesters who were demonstrating outside a westside McDonald's restaurant here, an organizer said.

The men, who wore hockey masks, also sprayed the demonstrators with water guns filled with blood, said Kristen Ober, the co-founder of Rights for the Earth, Animals and People. Her organization participated in a protest against the fast-food giant for its alleged cruel treatment of animals and destruction of the environment.

Ms. Ober said the protesters were handing out fliers at the McDonald's at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and NW 23rd about 12:30 p.m. when a truck pulled into a turning lane next to them.

Before the light changed, the men had emptied several buckets of bloody meat onto the crowd, Ms. Ober said. Ms. Ober said the assault was reported to police.

In addition to Oklahoma City, protests were held in Tulsa and Norman. The protests there apparently were peaceful. Other demonstrations were staged nationwide.

Bruce Friedrich, PETA's vegetarian campaign coordinator, said from Norfolk, Va., that the organization had been trying to negotiate with McDonald's for two years regarding its treatment of the poultry, swine and cattle it uses for its products.