PETA screams at the top of its lungs outside the White House to protest Turkey’s pardon

An animal rights group will bombard the streets of D.C. with the visceral cries of distressed turkeys and subliminal messages urging people to adopt a vegan diet as the White House holds the annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon tradition on Monday.

The disturbing animal cries and subliminal messages are part of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)’s “Hell on Wheels” turkey truck, which has been driving through 30 different states across the country since October, stopping at grocery stores, busy downtown areas, and finally, the presidential pardon by Turkey. The truck, designed to look like a realistic turkey truck and covered in images of birds crammed into crates, was installed Sunday evening in front of the Willard Hotel, where the birds were staying before the ceremony. On Monday, the truck set up shop in front of the White House.

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Two turkeys named Liberty and Bell, who will attend the annual presidential pardon at the White House before Thanksgiving, attend a news conference at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“It’s a life-size turkey truck and it’s covered in pictures of real sickly turkeys. And if people listen very carefully, they’ll hear a subliminal message to go vegan every 10 seconds. And that’s because we want people to listen carefully. “Look carefully, because every turkey is an individual,” Amanda Brody, deputy manager in PETA’s international grassroots campaigns department, told Fox News Digital.

“No one has to eat meat, dairy or eggs to be healthy, and everyone can help stop this unnecessary suffering by simply going vegan today or enjoying a vegan roast at their Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday.”

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Earlier this month, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk sent a letter to President Biden calling on the “lame-duck president” to end what she called the “miserable” tradition of turkey pardons. Newkirk argued the tradition was “a humiliating ploy by the meat industry, using the White House as a public relations backdrop.”

Thanksgiving image and PETA President Ingrid Newkirk separate the image (Adobe Stock/Getty/iStock)

“Turkeys are devoted parents, purring to their chicks and whose skin changes color to express their emotions. But in the meat industry they are treated like insensible objects, crammed into filthy stalls and slaughtered, often while still conscious,” Newkirk said Monday. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck sends a strong message that standing up for the meat industry is beneath the Oval Office and appeals to the public to give the birds a break by feeding on Thanksgiving and beyond “In addition, choose a vegan diet.”

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The history of the presidential pardon of a turkey is a little unclear. Some believe it first began when President Abraham Lincoln granted “grace” to a turkey in 1863. Others believe the tradition began much later with President Harry S. Truman. Meanwhile, according to NPR, the turkey pardon tradition was formalized by President George HW Bush in 1989.