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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Josh Halliday North of England correspondent

‘We block 10 people a day’: culture war trolls add to UK vegan restaurants’ struggles

Jim Anderson holding plates of vegan food
Jim Anderson at his vegan restaurant, the Oak Tree, in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

When Jim Anderson and his wife, Samantha, opened their vegan restaurant, the Oak Tree, in 2013, they boasted proudly of its plant-based menu. Not any more. The “V-word” has become such a target for abuse that they have removed it from their menu and social media.

“We block up to 10 people a day on social media,” said Anderson. “All we are is a restaurant that serves a type of cuisine. But for some reason, that word – the V-word – seems to cause people to go crazy, so we’ve dropped it.”

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