Vegan activist is covered in blood after farmers 'shoot' through her car window for freeing 14 rabbits
A British vegan activist was allegedly shot at by farmers in Spain and was left covered in blood after she "rescued" 14 rabbits from them. The Barcelona-based activist, identified as Mia, posted a video on Instagram on September 4, showing her covered in blood with her car's window glass splattered near her on the seat.
Mia, while addressing her over 40,000 followers, said she entered a rabbit farm in Gurb, Osona, and "rescued" the rabbits. However, her post did not sit well with many, as some users branded her an "idiot" and called her a "thief" for taking the farmers' animals.
"Shooting is criminal offense while trespassing, destructing and stealing someone's property isn't... What kind of logic is that?" one social media user commented on the video. While another said: "That's what you get for being a thief."
Although Mia claimed that she "rescued 16 lives," Catalonia police stated that a total of 14 rabbits were taken from the farm. The authorities also said that her car's window was likely struck by a "forceful object" because of the impact on the glass rather than a shot from a shotgun.
The animal rights' activist, in her post, described that the farmers became "extremely aggressive" and resorted to "strangling activists and smashing their heads with metal poles" after the incident. Reports state that a total of 15 activists of different nationalities including Span, Turkey, France, and Belgium were at the site.
Mia said after the activists were asked to leave peacefully by the police, they were later chased by farmers who drove at up to 124 mph down a motorway.
"We tried to lose them down a side road but they were on our tails. They blocked us into a dead end and surround the car with five other farmers’ cars," she said. Another video posted on social media showed a confrontation between one of the farmers and vegan activists. The police escorted the activists to a "safe place" but did not take them home, claiming they would be "okay," according to Mia. However, she claimed that ten minutes after the police left, a car pulled up by the side of the activists, and farmers shot at them through the window.
"The window exploded in my face and there was a lot of blood from all the glass. We’re currently at the hospital and waiting to go to the police station to report this crime," Mia said.
A spokesperson for Catalonia police, Mossos d'Esquadra, released a statement after the incident, saying: "The events took place on Sunday, September 1 at 7.30 p.m. A group of activists entered a farm in Gurb, Osona, and took 14 rabbits. When Mossos d'Esquadra arrived at the site, the activists were already outside the Farm. The 14 hidden rabbits were not found."
"At the same time a group of farmers appeared and there was moments of tension on the part of both groups," she added. "Mossos separated them and made people march to the place. First and foremost to avoid further conflicts. Towards 11pm they informed us that one of the cars of the activists has denounced that they have suffered an impact on the glass and that due to the broken glasses a girl had injuries to the face. Mossos d'Esquadra discarded that it was a shotgun shot of the impact of the glass, but it is a forceful object," the statement added.