‘I Never Lent You My Flesh!’ Says Giant PETA Fish Ahead of Christian Fast in El Paso

For Immediate Release:
February 21, 2023

Contact:
Melissa Ortiz 202-483-7382

In time for Ash Wednesday tomorrow—and in the heart of El Paso—PETA has erected a sky-high message in the parking lot of Wendy’s, which is serving fish for Lent, and near several other eateries that serve fish, urging everyone to keep all animals off their plates during the Lenten season and, for cod’s sake, throughout the rest of the year.

“PETA is encouraging people to observe a Lent that’s kind to all, because fish feel pain and fear, just as all animals do,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “From fish-free fillets to mock lobster and no-crab cakes, today’s tasty vegan options are causing a sea change that makes it easy to show mercy to animals during this period of self-reflection and beyond.”

Animals are not mentioned in Genesis 1:29, which states that God provides “every seed-bearing plant” and “every tree whose fruit contains seed” as food for humans. Fish are intelligent and sensitive beings who experience pain, think, and deserve to live. They share knowledge, have cultural traditions, and communicate with one another using low-frequency sounds that humans can’t hear. Some woo potential partners by singing to them or creating intricate works of art. Despite all this, more fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. They’re impaled, crushed, suffocated, or cut open and gutted—often while they’re conscious. In addition, 38 million tons of other aquatic animals are unintentionally caught each year to satisfy humans’ demand for “seafood.”

PETA’s billboard is located at 6201 Montana Ave., which is also near Long John Silver’s, Arby’s, and two Catholic churches.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat,” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers a list of delicious vegan fish options, such as Gardein’s f’sh filets, Sophie’s Kitchen’s Fish Fillets, and Good Catch Plant-Based Crab Cakes, as well as a free vegan starter kit.

For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.