Joey Carbstrong
Joseph Armstrong, known professionally as Joey Carbstrong, is an Australian animal rights activist. A former criminal,[1] he has since become an advocate for animal liberation and veganism through social media and public speaking engagements, as well as debates and various televised interviews.
Joey Carbstrong | |
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Born | Joseph Armstrong Adelaide, Australia |
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation | Animal rights activist |
Known for | Animals rights advocacy |
Website | www |
Personal life
Carbstrong was born Joseph Armstrong in Adelaide, Australia.[1] He has publicly stated that before his fame he was involved in substance abuse and crime.[1] He became a vegan after his release from incarceration.[1] He has a "Vegan" tattoo behind his right ear.[2]
At the age of 14, he had left school and developed a heavy drug addiction.[1] He had various blue-collar jobs before receiving welfare at age 22. By this point he had gained a lengthy criminal record which included three assaults.[1] He spent 18 months under house arrest. An arrest in September 2011 was the result of police discovering a concealed, loaded shotgun which Armstrong was bringing to a drug deal. Multiple weapons and additional ammunition in his hotel room were also discovered and he spent six months in jail. While in jail, he claimed to have had an epiphany and decided to change his life, saying, "I began seeing my life with new eyes. I'd seen all the other prisoners in there and didn't want to be there, I wanted to leave the gangs."[1][3] In May 2021, he released a video to celebrate eight years of sobriety.[4]
Animal rights advocacy
Carbstrong has been involved in animal rights street activism in Australia, Hong Kong,[5] and the United Kingdom, promoting groups such as Anonymous for the Voiceless and the Save Movement, an organization that holds vigils outside slaughterhouses and promotes veganism by sharing images and footage from farms and slaughterhouses on social media.[6][7]
Debates
In January 2018, he began a 'Vegan Prophecy UK tour', which involve protesting against multiple slaughterhouses.[1]
In 2018, Carbstrong appeared on the British TV programme This Morning to debate two farmers.[8] During the heated discussion, Carbstrong described artificial insemination of cows as a form of sexual abuse and said the dairy industry "sexually violates" cows.[8] On the Jeremy Vine Show, Carbstrong criticized the host Vine's ham and cheese sandwich.[9][10] In 2020 he appeared in Veganville on BBC 3.[11][12]
References
- Hayley Dixon and Jonathan Pearlman (9 February 2018). "'Peaceful vegan activist' Joey Carbstrong compared dairy farmers to Hitler and told them to kill themselves". The Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- Lewis, Carly. "Thanks to vegans, my vegetarianism has become a source of shame". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- "Is Milk Murder for Cows?". Good Morning Britain. YouTube. 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- My demons nearly took my life from me, this is what saved me..., retrieved 16 May 2021
- "Hong Kong Pig Save activists stage vigil at city slaughterhouse". South China Morning Post. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- Haque, Amber (29 January 2018). "'Vegans call me murderer and rapist'". BBC News. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- "Celebrity vegan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with animal rights activists during abattoir vigil". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- Young, Sarah. (2018). "Vegan campaigner Joey Carbstrong criticised after confronting farming couple who received death threats". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- "Vegan Activist Blasts Jeremy Vine After Spotting His Ham And Cheese Sandwich". HuffPost UK. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- Street-Porter, Janet. (2018). "Vegans hurt their case by being too extreme". The Independent. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- "BBC Three - Veganville". BBC.
- Gallier, Thea de (17 January 2020). "Veganuary: Veganism is tearing our families apart". BBC Three.