Perth’s celebrity butcher Vince Garreffa ready for protests at Mondo Butchers after refusing to stop selling horse meat

Radical vegan activists have named Perth’s celebrity butcher Vince Garreffa as the next target of their anti-meat campaign. Members of Direct Action Everywhere have vowed to descend on Mr Garreffa’s famous Mondo Butchers in Inglewood this Saturday to stop his “vile” practice of selling horse meat. “Mondo Butchers sells the bodies of murdered victims, yet the owner Vince preaches respect and courtesy toward other beings. In his hypocrisy his actions toward the innocent are vile,” the group posted on Facebook. “In wake of the ABC 730 report we’ve all witnessed and been horrified by, Mondo still decides promote the demand for the slaughter of innocent horses and other animals. “It’s about time normalised violence, especially of this nature is acknowledged and contested. “Come join us in pressuring society out of the dark ages and eradicating the businesses that uphold pre-evolved this mentality.” Mr Garreffa said he was unfazed by their threat and that police and his lawyer would be warned well ahead of the proposed protests. “Through them doing this... it lifts the support of the community to us. They are just maggots. We’ll see what eventuates,” he said. Direct Action Everywhere group leader James Warden and Mr Garreffa clashed on The West Australian/Channel 7 current affairs show Flashpoint last month. Since 2010, Mr Garreffa has sold horse meat for human consumption and backed it as a well-placed culinary tradition. “It [horse meat] is available all over the world, in 20 different countries,” he said. “We are butchers, we have what ever is legally available to the public. “People take great pride in my shop.” This is not the first time the well-known butcher has receiving threats from animal liberationists. When he first started selling horse meat he said he was forced to defend the practice and said there was demand for the product. “I know half the people in the racing industry would like to see it expand and half would like to see it close down,” he said. Mr Garreffa defended his practices and said it was a “legally and safely” sound practice. The announcement comes after the group held what they describe as a “vigil” outside Linley Valley Pork in Wooroloo on last Wednesday,October 30. Mr Garreffa said their were strong numbers of “hobby horses” that were clear of drugs that were ideal for consumption in WA. The last horse meat butchers was on Williams Street and closed down in 1954. Mr Garreffa said there were only two abattoir’s accredited for export of horse meat and they were turning their back on locals because of the recent commotion. “They won’t sell any here because of the uproar,” he said.