Vegan activist Tash Peterson confronts a butcher who put her name on a pigs head

A controversial vegan activist has confronted a butcher after he printed her name onto a price label, stuck it onto a decapitated pig’s head, then sent her a photo of the stunt online.  

Tash Peterson, 28, is no stranger to controversy, with her high-profile demonstrations repeatedly going viral and occasionally landing her in trouble with the law.

But the animal rights advocate – who is often filmed in bitter showdowns with butchers – was left shocked on Sunday after receiving a heartfelt apology from a Perth slaughterman after a junior employee taunted her over social media. 

Ms Peterson and her boyfriend Jack Higgs visited Swansea Street Meats, in East Victoria Park, over the weekend after the activist received the disturbing image in her Instagram inbox.

Controversial vegan activist Tash Peterson (pictured) has been filmed confronting a butcher in Perth 

In a video of the incident posted online, Ms Peterson explained she normally receives lots of images of dead animals from trolls but was able to track the pig head photo down.  

‘The image had the label of this particular supermarket, so they must have a butcher in there,’ Ms Peterson said. 

‘It happened to have my full name on the price tag.

‘They have put my name onto this poor murder victim’s head, who is being sold for $13.’

Once inside, Ms Peterson asked a man at the counter if he knew about the stunt, but was told he was unaware of the situation as he ‘only works on weekends’.

After demanding to speak to someone, another man walked out from the staff room to meet Ms Peterson and answer her query.

‘I’m just wondering why my name has been labelled on a pig’s head?’ she asks.

Ms Peterson stormed into Swansea Street Meats on Sunday after being sent a photo of her name printed onto a label placed on a decapitated pig’s head (pictured) 

The man told her he ‘honestly did not know’ and said it was the first time he had ever seen the image.

‘Obviously that is not something we would condone here,’ he says.

After accepting his answer, Ms Peterson offered to look up the name of the person who sent the image to double check that he was an employee.

But as she scrolled through her phone, the man responsible stepped out of the staff room and confessed ‘that was me’.

‘Did you send that Lucas? Why did you do that?’ his boss asks.

The young man said he doesn’t know why, but admitted when probed by Ms Peterson that he thought his antics were ‘a little bit funny’. 

Ms Peterson spoke to a boss at the store who was unaware of the stunt and ordered the younger worker responsible to apologise 

The boss reprimands the teenage worker and ordered him to apologise, which he did, before he was ordered to return to the back of the store.  

The meat merchant then proceeded to apologise to Ms Peterson and vowed to ‘have a strong word’ with the teenager.

‘Obviously 18-year-old boys don’t make very good choices,’ he said.

‘You are a busy person, you have enough junk going around that I see. I don’t want to annoy you.

‘Thanks for coming in and letting me know. You have my sincerest apology.’

Ms Peterson accepted his apology and eventually left the store on good terms. 

However, the couple later told fans they felt it was unlikely the teenager would not face any repercussions. 

‘I’m not concerned about my name on the head, it’s obviously disturbing, but I am there to speak for the animals,’ Ms Peterson said.

A boy called ‘Lucas’ came out from the back of the store and admitted to being responsible for the picture 

‘I went there to try and plant a seed in these peoples’ minds.’

The pair said they intended to escalate the situation with the manager now they were able to identify the boy responsible.

The latest incident comes just weeks after the prolific protester stormed a Perth restaurant in a red-stained outfit demanding diners to stop eating meat while playing sounds of animals being slaughtered. 

Ms Peterson’s antics have led police and policymakers in WA to describe her as ‘Australia’s biggest pest’.

She has copped several fines for her semi-nude demonstrations in designer stores, restaurants and supermarkets.

In May, she accused a police officer of sexism after he asked her to cover her bare chest during one of her public protests.

Ms Peterson stormed into a restaurant earlier this month and demanded diners stop eating meat while she played sounds of animals being slaughtered

Ms Peterson had staged the topless demonstration at Hay Street Mall before uploading footage of it to her social media account.

In the video, the plant-based protester holds a sign that reads: ‘Kangaroos shot and joeys beaten to death for Nike shoes,’ while wearing a kangaroo onesie.

Last August, Ms Peterson marched topless through a Louis Vuitton store in Perth while smeared with her own menstrual blood. which later saw her fined $3,500 by a Perth magistrate.

The activist has also dressed up as a cow and demonstrated in the meat section of supermarkets, invaded the pitch at an AFLW match, and wore a blood-soaked apron while screaming at patrons in a KFC and Coles.

She also faced trial for a December 2020 protest at the Boatshed Markets in Cottesloe where she also appeared shirtless, with her chest painted in a cow pattern, and yelled at shoppers that cows were being raped for meat and dairy.

In May, Ms Peterson accused a police officer of sexism after he asked her to cover her bare chest during one of her public protests