People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activist Bruce Friedrich was arrested in Great Britain yesterday, after running past Buckingham Palace while wearing nothing more than sneakers and eyeglasses. The arrest happened just minutes before President Bush arrived to have lunch with Queen Elizabeth II. A PETA spokesperson told the (British) Press Association that the streaking activist was “trying to shed light on the issue of cruelty to animals in food production and the alternative to a meat-based diet.” Those who heard Friedrich in Washington last week, however, must wonder whether his next public display will be far more destructive in nature. Addressing the Animal Rights 2001 conference, Friedrich said: “If we really believe that animals have the same right to be free from pain and suffering at our hands, then, of course we’re going to be blowing things up and smashing windows… I think it would be great if all of the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories and the banks who fund them exploded tomorrow.”
