A farmer from Wales was temporarily banned from TikTok for ‘bullying and harassing vegans’. You can watch one his controversial videos below:
Gareth Wyn Jones was booted from the social media platform for 24 hours after sharing a video in which he argued cruelty free food ‘doesn’t exist’.
Posing with a freshly plucked turnip, Jones, who starred on BBC’s The Family Farm, told his followers: “This is food that is grown out of the ground, and it is grown here by using cattle manure, so it's a whole big circle.”
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Jones was responding to a video by internet animal rights activist The Vegan Teacher, in which she pondered: “Why the f**k aren’t you vegan yet?”
Responding with his own clip, Jones said, turnip in hand: “I'll tell you why I'm not vegan and never will be, because I'm a farmer and I understand the circle of life and there is not such a thing as cruelty free food.
“This is food that is grown out of the ground, and it is grown here by using cattle manure and that is a big part of farming, so it's a whole big circle.
“Not only do we eat these animals but we use their poo, their manure to grow crops and to grow lovely vegetables to feed you. So it's all about a balanced diet.”
A day after his post, Jones realised he’d been banned by TikTok for ‘harassment and bullying’.
Following an appeal, his account was reinstated, and according to Wales’ Daily Post, Jones insisted: “This is the second time I’ve been blocked by them and I’m not that bothered.”
However he did express concerns over his right to free speech, noting: “We have to question the impact on freedom of speech when pressure groups can get people banned from online platforms.”
He added: “People are free to make up their own mind about livestock farming. These groups will keep attacking us and all we can do is to continue what we have been doing for centuries, which is producing food for the nation.”
In May, Jones was forced to seek police help after someone threatened to ‘take out his bloodline’.
The individual was said to have links to an animal welfare group in the US, and their Facebook message to Jones prompted the farmer to get in contact with local police.
Jones said at the time: “People like this cannot be allowed to get away with it. It’s just unacceptable.”
Aisha Nozari