Images of Animal Rebellion protesters pouring milk on to shop floors, displays and products across the country on the weekend have received a mixed reception.
And the Loose Women were not about to ignore one of the day’s hot topics on Monday’s show as they debated the weekend news agenda.
The group co-ordinated the action in stores like Waitrose, Whole Foods and Marks and Spencer in London, Manchester, Norwich and Edinburgh just before 12pm on Saturday.
Video footage showed protestors pouring milk, taken from the shelves, on to display cabinets in Harrods' food hall in Knightsbridge.
More clips showed another group emptying milk bottles on to the floor and across a table laden with cheeses in Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly.
Animal Rebellion said it is calling for a plant-based future and highlighting the need to support farmers in transitioning to a sustainable plant-based food system.
And Coleen Nolan was first to jump to the protesters’ defence on today’s instalment of the panel chat show.
“They’ve been trying to get their point across and no one’s listening, so they do something like this and every show is talking about them, which brings your attention to the plight that they are fighting for,” the former singer pointed out.
The 57-year-old mum-of-three said: “Do I agree with vandalism? Absolutely not, but I understand that the only way they get talked about or their issues get talked about is when they do something extreme, which is what we are doing now.”
Jane Moore chimed in and argued: “I think you’re right but I think what this does is it alienates the public from their cause, rather than brings them on board.”
Coleen snapped back and put the responsibility at the door of the public watching the protests: “Yes, but maybe, the public, what they should do is really research into what they are protesting about. Because if you see some of the stuff that I have seen, it’s horrific.
“Animal welfare, if you see some of the videos that I have now seen, you’ll be horrified, and I understand why you don’t want to see them.”
The panellist went on to explain how she understood why people don’t want to watch such graphic footage of animal abuse, but urged people to do it anyway and stop trying to disassociate what they eat from the reality of where it comes from.
Coleen explained how she first changed her diet to plant-based for health reasons but then began researching the horrors of the meat and dairy industry and vowed to stick to veganism for more than just health benefits.
