'Die-ins' and fake blood at animal rights protests

Around 1,000 animal rights activists and vegans have marched 6 kilometers (4 miles) through the western German city of Cologne with signs ranging from the shocking and thought-provoking to the humorous. Cologne was one of 42 cities around the world participating in the Animal Rights March.

Shirtless men carry a sign reading "Better naked than with fur" to protest against the use of skins or furs of dead animals and of bird feathers. A man with a toned body has "Protein deficiency" written across his chest to dispel the notion that to get ripped at the gym one needs to eat meat.

Katharina Pozo (L), one of the protest organizers, led throngs of protesters in chants outside Burger King and the German hamburger chain Hans im Gluck. She wants to mobilize "silent vegans" and others into a broad movement "to give animals a voice."

Hundreds of protesters engaged in a one-minute "die-in" on a main thoroughfare in central Cologne. The action aimed to highlight the millions of cows, pigs, chickens and other animals killed in industrial slaughterhouses in Germany every year.

Demonstrators are protesting the fact that every year, 45 million male chicks in Germany are thrown into mechanical shredders or gassed to death moments after coming out of their shells. This is because they cannot lay eggs and are not as meaty as broiler chickens.

Once the main protest was finished, several dozen people gathered outside a McDonald's to participate in a separate action organized by Direct Action Everywhere (DxE). The international grassroots animal rights movement engages in nonviolent disruptive protests where violence is happening to make visible what happens behind closed doors.

A performer smothered fake blood over herself in front of the McDonald's order counter as protesters made a statement and chanted slogans against animal abuse. At the end of the protests, several McDonald's customers started yelling, pushing and spitting at the protesters.

Natascha Blumenkind, a leader in DxE, said the performances were not designed to disgust people. "We want people to make the connection between what's on their plate and who had to suffer for it. We focus on the victims and their experiences, rather than on the people who are contributing to the system. If we can make visible what's right under the surface, no one can look away anymore."