7 arrested during protest outside slaughter house

Video submitted by CityNews viewers Jenny Henry and Michael Sizer, who were protesters at the demonstration

Seven people were arrested on Thursday morning after a protest outside a Toronto slaughter house.

Animal rights activists gathered at St. Helen’s Meat Packers, near Keele Street and St. Clair Avenue West, around 8 a.m.

Police were called to the scene just before 10 a.m. when the protest became aggressive, said Toronto police spokesperson Jenifferjit Sidhu.

Police told CityNews that seven people were arrested for mischief. Out of the seven, two were also arrested for mischief and assault.

Police said one person kicked an officer in her stomach and the other punched the same officer in her face. The protester in the video who fell to the ground was one of those arrested for mischief. He did not register any complaints or injuries, police said.

Protester Jenny Henry told CityNews there was a group of animal rights activists who sat in a line across the entrance to block trucks from delivering cattle.

Henry said that when trucks began backing up towards the protesters sitting in the line, police pulled them out of the way of the truck.

Some were moved “quite violently,” Henry, who was not sitting in the line, said.

“If you abuse one animal, you get in trouble. Meanwhile, we are being arrested for trying to prevent violent slaughter of innocent, gentle animals. Police are protecting the industry that routinely abuses and viciously slaughters the cows,” Henry said.

A manager at the St. Helen’s who declined to be named told CityNews the protest did not disrupt operations.

St. Helen’s Meat Packers released a statement late on Friday. It is below:

St. Helen’s Meat Packers is a federally inspected meat facility. We comply with all Canadian Food Inspection Agency and regulatory standards for animal treatment.

We take pride in our relationships with our community, including those who object to human consumption of any meat product. We have met with them in the past and will continue to keep an open dialogue with them.

We regret that those who disagree with our business sometimes choose to protest in a manner that puts their own safety at risk and requires the intervention of the police.

At the same time we remain committed to operating our business, using state of the art technology and unrivaled food safety and animal handling, for all our customers.

UPDATE: CityNews has told the Toronto police about the video above, submitted by CityNews viewers, who were protesters at the demonstration. Constable Victor Kwong of the Toronto Police Corporate Communications division said police are looking into the context of the incident.

This story has been updated from an earlier version.

With files from Diana Pereira, Amanda Ferguson and Toronto staff