A butcher says he refuses to get upset by animal rights protesters who left abusive placards outside his shop.
Nick Rapps, 35, was told to ‘rot in hell’ by demonstrators who left a sign wishing ‘cancer on you and your family’.
But he refuses to let the nasty messages unsettle him because ‘that is exactly what they want’ and says he remains ‘sympathetic’ to the vegan lifestyle.
The signs were found outside Molesworths Family Butchers in Frampton Cotterell, South Gloucestershire the evening before a big animal rights protest in nearby Bristol.
Nick, who has been running the shop for three years, says he has ‘quite thick skin’ and says criticism should be expected in his trade.
He said: ‘I can’t get upset, because that is exactly what they want.
‘The funny thing is, out of all the people they could have targeted, I’m probably the one person who is most sympathetic to that lifestyle.
The father-of-one added: ‘I’ve always worked in places where the meat has been ethically-sourced – it’s not at all mass-produced.
‘If these people want to have a conversation with me about that side of things, I’m actually a very understanding person.
‘What did turn my stomach a bit was the cancer sign. I’ve got quite a young family, so that was a bit much.’
Nick, who has a three-year-old son says two members of his family died young due to cancer and said the message is ‘really offensive to cancer survivors’.
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He added: ‘The thought process just isn’t there. They’ve obviously just written the most offensive thing they could, just to get a reaction.
‘But whatever it was intended to do, it has done the opposite.’
Nick, from Bristol said the ‘odd’ attack on Friday overshadowed his 35th birthday on Sunday.
The Vegan Society said it did not support insults, and encouraged vegans to share a peaceful message.
The society told the BBC ‘veganism is based on kindness and compassion’ and said ‘any extremists are not representative of the movement’.
It added: ‘As much as we sympathise with the activists who allegedly put up the signs, we do not consider this approach to be an effective way to promote veganism as an ethics-driven lifestyle.’
