PETA UK has named Morrissey as its Person of the Year 2011.
From PETA.org.uk: "A long-time champion of animal rights and vegetarianism, this year the Lancashire born singer – described by NME as “one of the most influential artists ever” – has once again been using the limelight to shine a light on the terrible suffering that animals endure on factory farms and inside abattoirs.
“During his European tour, Morrissey had information tables with animal rights literature manned by friendly PETA volunteers who chatted with concertgoers and distributed thousands of vegetarian/vegan starter kits. He and his band wore shirts with animal rights messages on stage and played PETA US’ “Meet Your Meat” video during the shows to educate the audiences about the reality of life for animals on factory farms. He even convinced a huge Belgian music festival to go meat-free on the day of his performance!
“Never one to hold back, Morrissey has fearlessly mouthed off about the meat trade and helped promote kindness to animals worldwide in bold ways, including being immortalized in PETA US’ “Vegetarian Icon” postage stamp series – with more than 20,000 stamps selling out in less than two weeks!"
