The Animal Justice Party's MP defends the right of people to take action to protect the welfare of animals: 'If it’s OK to rescue a dog from a hot car, then it should be equally OK to rescue a hen that is suffering'.
ANDREW TAYLOR: ‘Few politicians are asked about their diet as much as Emma Hurst, who is required as a candidate for the Animal Justice Party to be vegan or transitioning to veganism… Ms Hurst became the second member of the AJP elected to the NSW Legislative Council after the micro-party secured 1.95 per cent of the vote in the March election…
Ms Hurst said the AJP picked up support in regional areas and preferences from both Labor and Liberal voters: “Animal protection isn’t just a left issue. It’s something a lot of people care about across the board and across a lot of political parties”…
Ms Hurst secured a spot in the Upper House one week after animal rights activists, labelled “green-collared criminals” by prime minister Scott Morrison, protested in Melbourne streets and at abattoirs in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
“The Animal Justice Party can’t support anything that’s illegal, but we do support the right to peaceful protest,” she said. She also defended the right of people to take action to protect the welfare of animals: “If it’s OK to rescue a hot dog from a car, then it should be equally OK to rescue a hen that is suffering”…
Ms Hurst’s diet is also relevant given the AJP advocates a shift away from eating meat and animal products towards a plant-based diet… Her colleague in Australia’s NSW upper house, Mark Pearson, attracted criticism in 2017 after he was caught eating fish at a Japanese restaurant…
A vegan for 19 years, Ms Hurst said the party was not seeking to dictate what people eat, but the consequences of some of its policies would reduce meat, dairy and egg consumption. “We would certainly push for more funding for plant-based agriculture and encourage people for their own health and environmental reasons to reduce or eliminate animal products,” she said…
Her vegan diet also inspires anger from some people, which Ms Hurst, who trained as a psychologist, believes is a result of cognitive dissonance. “They’re nervous that something that they’re eating may be contributing to some of this animal cruelty,” she said. “So I think it is a defence mechanism because it’s a hard conversation for anyone to have”.’ SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEO: