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Vegan activist Joey Carbstrong has hit back at media reports branding him ‘angry’ and ‘aggressive’.
The articles, which appeared in numerous UK tabloids, followed his appearance on breakfast tv show This Morning earlier today.
During the segment, titled Has Veganuary Gone Too Far?, Carbstrong debated hunter Rachel Carrie, who often shares photos of animals she has killed on Instagram.
Criticism
During the heated debate, the pair discussed topics including the environment, factory farming, and hunting. Commentators online slammed the vegan activist for speaking over the hunter.
Carbstrong told Plant Based News: “We both ended up speaking over each other. I was told before going on air that we would have seven minutes. With such a short amount of time available, I wanted to make sure I made a few points.
“I knew it would attract negative attention, because I don’t hold the popular view. But I found that some reports attacked me personally, rather than trying to look at my message. I don’t care if people like me – I just want people to talk about veganism, and the segment got them talking, so I don’t think it was bad publicity.”
Veganuary
Carbstrong also commented on the premise of the segment – about whether Veganuary has ‘gone too far’.
“Veganuary has a very inclusive, soft approach to veganism,” he said. “It is an organization which is never militant, so to suggest it has gone too far shows the media is interested on jumping on the popular bandwagon.”
‘A very good point’
Despite remaining relatively quiet during the debate, host Eamonn Holmes later defended Carbstrong, after seeing some of the online vitriol.
“It’s really got you talking, that last debate about veganism,” he said. “Not everybody was impressed by [Joey’s] passion and, I suppose you could say, anger beyond all of that – but I thought he was making a very good point.
“We have to reaffirm our connection between what we eat and how it is farmed.”
