Arrosticini Festival Attacked By Vegan Group

words by Silvia Donati A local food festival celebrating arrosticini was disrupted last weekend when a vegan group attacked the festival setup staining tents with indelible paint and chopping off electrical cables. It happened in the small town of Sassi, near Torino, the night before the three-day "Festa della Famiglia Abruzzese e Molisana" was slated to begin in Piazza Giovanni delle Bande Nere. Despite the damage, the festival still went on as scheduled and was a success, attracting 8,000 people, while 20,000 arrosticini were distributed. Arrosticini is a typical Abruzzese dish: mutton meat cooked on a spit. The vegan group signed the attack with the slogan “Veganismo e Giustizia” (Veganism and Justice). It also used the acronym ALF, which stands for Animal Liberation Front, while one message was directed to the festival attendees: “Mangia cadaveri” (eaters of corpses). Due to the incident, carabinieri were called to watch out for other possible attacks, although things progressed smoothly. Carlo Di Giambattista, president of the association "Famiglia Abruzzese Molisana del Piemonte", said: “I accept different opinions. I personally don’t eat red meat and I sometimes eat at vegan restaurants. But I can’t accept this form of protest, because it reminds me of other protests resulting in violence.”