Woke protesters swarm fancy restaurants and call for controversial delicacy loved for centuries to be banned

Published: 21:41, 28 April 2026 | Updated: 21:41, 28 April 2026 Protestors in Massachusetts are forcing establishments into submission to get rid of a controversial French delicacy that many have enjoyed for centuries. The serving of foie gras, which is made by overfeeding ducks and geese to create an up to tenfold increase in the size of their livers, has outraged the Boston Animal Advocates group for the last month and a half, according to the Boston Globe. The French dish has been at the center of debate for years, and last May, Brookline became the first municipality in Massachusetts to prohibit its sale. The ruling was not enough for the animal rights activists, who took their demonstrations directly to restaurants, demanding they take foie gras off their menus for good. Pammy's, an Italian-inspired restaurant, bent the knee to protestors who were posted outside the restaurant for a week. The Central Square restaurant would sometimes include duck liver on its prix fixe menu, and despite Pammy's sourcing its foie gras from an ethical distributor, activists remained unsatisfied. Video footage uploaded in November showed protesters entering Pammy's and confronting co-owner Pam Willis. A November 20 police report noted that a protester had assaulted the restaurant's manager. View this post on Instagram Protestors are outraged over the controversial French cuisine, foie gras (Pictured torched foie gras and confit tian layered with Manitoba wild rice and maple salad) Foie gras, which is made by overfeeding ducks and geese to create an up to tenfold increase in the size of their livers Protestors with Chainsaw Boston protested outside Asta, a restaurant in Boston that occasionally serves the French dish. The owner told the Boston Globe that the demonstrations have not affected his business, and he continues to keep serving the duck However, an activist told the Boston Globe that the protester had allegedly stepped on the manager's shoe. Armed with megaphones and signs, about a dozen protestors could be seen hollering towards the restaurant, shining lights through its window, while guests attempted to dine peacefully. Matthew Woodstone had a meal at the restaurant during the protest and described his experience to the outlet. 'It was this sort of dystopian experience,' says Woodstone. 'Pammy's is so elegant inside and so dimly lit, and you're having a nice glass of wine, and then outside, the protesters have huge signs that they're raising and banging on the glass, and they've got their flashing lights and cameras. There was a tension between those two experiences.' Other restaurants have no plans to stop cooking the duck liver despite Boston Animal Advocates' demonstrations. A protestor with Boston Chainsaw told the Globe that they believe their protest campaigns are successful after a restaurant owner puts in writing that they will never serve foie gras Alex Crabb, the co-owner of Asta, explained to the outlet that the protest has not affected his business and has no plans to stop serving foie gras Percy Gouldstone, a member of Chainsaw Boston, another animal rights group, told the Globe that their work is considered successful when a restaurant agrees in writing not to serve the dish. 'We ask nicely first,' said Gouldstone. 'Everything you see is an escalation of them refusing our initial ask.' The activist added that while their demonstrations can appear intimidating, their actions are 'completely legal.' Chainsaw Boston told the outlet that they are still working toward a foie gras-free future. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.