Gülbike, from the Middle East Vegan Society, delivered impactful animal rights talks in Turkey.
In November and December 2023, Gülbike from the Middle East Vegan Society gave several animal rights talks in Türkiye, engaging hundreds of people in discussions on veganism.
The first event was a panel discussion at the Ankara Bar Association, in collaboration with Ankara Animal Save Movement and Plant Based Treaty.
The panel was made up of various speakers, including a university gastroenterologist professor, athlete, animal photojournalist, lawyer, activist, and a dietician, and they discussed the ethical, health, and ecological aspects of veganism.
Gülbike covered the environmental impacts of an animal-based vs plant-based food system, touching on topics such as land and water use, pollution, deforestation, overfishing, bycatch, coral reefs, greenhouse gas emissions, planetary boundaries and the climate crisis.
She also talked about the Plant Based Treaty, a treaty that urges governments and public institutions to transition to a plant-based food system.
This event was the first of its kind of the Union of Turkish Bar Association, and while most attendees were lawyers, the event was open to the public. Overall, it was an incredibly inspiring and empowering event.
The next event was supported by the Izmir Municipality, in collaboration with Izmir Animal Save and Plant Based Movement, and held in the municipality’s cultural centre.
Gülbike spoke about the ethical and ecological aspects of animal rights and veganism, and also introduced the Plant Based Treaty.
The other speaker, a medical doctor, talked about the health-related impacts of plant-based diets. During the evening, attendees were served free vegan snacks and desserts. Following the event, they participated in a survey aimed at assessing the event's potential impact and gathering feedback.
The third event was part of a vegan summit hosted at Izmir Yasar University, featuring a total of 5 speakers.
The diverse lineup included the Turkish National Rugby team coach - named the strongest person in Türkiye in 2019 -, a CrossFit trainer, a university gastroenterologist professor, a chef, and Gülbike from MEVS, who gave two talks during the event.
The first was an introduction to animal rights, where she talked about the ethical perspective of animal rights and veganism.
In the second talk, she discussed the ecological aspects of animal agriculture, specifically addressing the environmental destruction that results from farming animals for human consumption.
The summit spanned the entire day and included complimentary vegan food and beverages, along with a wonderful workshop on vegan sushi preparation.
The fourth event was held in Izmir and organized for a political party.
Gülbike was the sole speaker and focused her presentation on the intersections of animal rights, ecological destruction, and capitalism. She discussed the relationship between speciesism and capitalism, touching on how a capitalist system reinforces speciesist practices and the inherent biases in markets that leave consumers in ignorance with asymmetric information. During her talk, she emphasized that an anti-capitalist stance should inherently be anti-speciesist and vice versa. Attendees were provided vegan desserts and snacks and surveyed afterwards for feedback on the event.
THE LAST EVENT, “TALKING ON WATER (SU’DAN KONUSMALAR)”, REVOLVED AROUND THE THEME OF WATER, AND WAS HOSTED AT THE ANKARA GOETHE INSTITUTE.
The ten speakers present - architects, artists, ecologists - brought diverse perspectives on the water crisis, with one of them specifically discussing the plastic pollution crisis. Gülbike’s talk was centered around the intersection of water, animal agriculture, and ecological destruction, with a specific focus on animal products and water usage. She discussed the global water crisis and its impact on aquatic species, human rights violations in the fishing industry, and the indirect consequences of animal agriculture on land usage and climate, which further threatens water supplies.
It was a privilege for Gülbike and the Middle East Vegan Society to partake in these events, engaging and educating people on animal rights and the ethical and environmental implications of animal agriculture. We look forward to participating and hosting more vegan events in 2024!
