A butcher shop in Berkeley has agreed to hang a sign in its window if a vegan group that has been holding weekly protests at the store will stop. From Eater San Francisco:

This weekend, a small butcher shop in Berkeley posted a confusing sign to customers condemning animal slaughter as “violent and unjust,” a concession made to local animal rights activist group Direct Action Everywhere, who will stop their disruptive demonstrations at the shop in exchange for the sign’s display. Since April, the four-year-old, Oakland-based activist group has held weekly protests in front of The Local Butcher Shop at 1600 Shattuck Avenue during its Sunday evening butcher classes. Eventually, Direct Action Everywhere approached the butcher shop’s owners with a list of demands, and they agreed to display the 15-by-15-inch sign.

Why would a butcher shop agree to post a sign like this? Because the protest group is doing blood-soaked performance art in front of their store every week:

The Washington Post contacted the owners of the butcher shop who declined to talk about the protests.

The Local Butcher Shop’s owners, a husband and wife team named Monica and Aaron Rocchino, declined to comment when reached by The Post.

“I have a lot to say about it, but I don’t want to give any more attention to it, because it’s what the protesters want,” Aaron Rocchino said.

Having succeeded in getting their way at the Butcher shop, the group is now planning to use the same tactic at other places that sell meat:

Direct Action Everywhere considers the sign agreement a “victory,” and seeks to continue this course of action, with Berkeley as its ground zero…Direct Action Everywhere may still protest at The Local Butcher Shop, but “drastically” less often according to Johnson — perhaps once or twice a year.

“We very much intend to take this [tactic] to other [meat-selling] locations, and have the same process,” says Johnson “If you put this up, then we’ll dial back the pressure.”

Last September Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse called the police after members of the same group entered the dining room and began giving a speech on animal rights. The police did detain some members of the group but the restaurant declined to press charges.