Man Who Plastered Supermarket Chickens With ‘Halal Is Barbaric’ Stickers Claims He’s Not Racist

A 29-year-old man from Salford in Manchester, UK, who plastered supermarket chickens with anti-halal stickers, claims he is an animal rights activist and not a racist.

Father-of-two Liam Edwards reportedly entered a Sainsbury’s supermarket branch in Salford recentlyabd proceeded to stick #BanHalal stickers on numerous chickens in the chilled goods aisle.

Security stepped in to stop Edwards after having called the police. When his home was searched, the police found marijuana as well as anti-Muslim letters and documents.

The stickers, which read, “Halal is barbaric and funds terrorism,” are a clear message to British Muslims that not everyone is as thrilled about Halal meat as they are.

At the Manchester Magistrates’ Court, the suspect said his actions were not “racially motivated” and he only damaged around $20 worth of chicken with the stickers.

When asked why he plastered the Halal meat, Edwards said that he wanted to draw attention to what he called “inhumane” Halal methods of killing animals for meat, which require slicing the animal’s neck without stunning it beforehand.

Prosecutor Holly Holden had things to say in court.

“The defendant has gone to the supermarket and placed stickers on packets of chicken saying ‘halal is barbaric and funds terrorism’. The chicken had to be destroyed because the stickers could not be removed. He says he wished to draw attention to the inhumane halal methods of animal slaughter and that was his motivation rather than racial prejudice. The point about animal cruelty could be expressed in a different way without the suggestion that halal and terrorism are linked.”

At the same time, Edwards’ defense lawyer, Mike Cahill, defended his client’s actions, saying, “He uses the word terrorism but that can’t denote race or indeed religion.”

Meanwhile, District Judge James Hatton, who granted Edwards bail until a further hearing on July 23, said, “You have pleaded guilty to some matters but not guilty to the racially-aggravated criminal damage. There will have to be a trial.”