PETA Demands 143-Year-Old Bar Change Its Name From ‘Ye Olde Fighting Cocks’ To ‘Ye Olde Clever Cocks’

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was founded in 1980, making them about 35-years-old. ‘Ye Olde Fighting Cocks’ in Hertfordshire, England dates back to the 8th century, was built in the 11th century, and has maintained the current name of ‘Ye Olde Fighting Cocks’ since the year 1872, making the most current iteration of this bar roughly 143-years-old. This bar had already been operating under the name ‘Ye Olde Fighting Cocks’ for 108 years before the stuffy pissants at PETA even began to exist. The disparity in ages didn’t stop PETA though from making headlines this week by demanding that ‘Ye Olde Fighting Cocks’, Great Britain’s oldest bar, change its name to ‘Ye Olde Clever Cocks’ because the current name is offensive to chickens.

Offensive. To. Chickens.

PETA actually went public claiming that the name of a bar as old as time is offensive to birds who don’t even have the ability to fly, which is like the ONLY thing birds should be able to do. If any of you bros live within traveling distance of that pub, get to St. Albans / Ye Olde Fighting Cocks NOW, and show your support by downing some pints.

The proprietors of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks released a statement on their website regarding PETA’s attempt to bully history:

The name stays!
Any of you who found yourself either listening to the radio or watching the news today will more than likely have either seen or heard Christo popping up.
For those of you unsure of where todays media maelstrom started, it was all thanks to PETA.
In a letter sent to the pub this morning, PETA suggest updating its name one more time to Ye Olde Clever Cocks – in recognition of society’s growing compassion for animals and in celebration of intelligent, sensitive chickens.
You can read the full side of PETA’s story on their website here.
Firstly, we would just like to go on record and say that we are big fans of the work PETA do, their campaign for banning fur was spot on and something they managed magnificently. However, when it comes to the naming of historic English pubs, on this occasion, we think we might have pass them up on the offer of help!
In all the conversations that we have both been part of and witnessed today, whether it was social media or the radio phone in that we were part of on the JVS show this morning, one thing has stood out and that is the overwhelming support we have from everyone in the area and we assure you that the love is mutual! You can hear some of the great local love for us from when we talked to JVS on BBC 3Counties radio this morning right here.
Now, this also seems like the perfect time to mention that we do serve some amazing food suitable for vegetarians that will keep everyone happy, some of the produce even comes straight from our very own garden. It is also worth mentioning that we do serve meat… Whilst this is not necessarily in line with PETA’s beliefs, all of the meat we serve, whether it goes into the stocks or on your plate is of the highest possible welfare.

Aaaaaaaand here’s what PETA UK had to say that sparked these shenanigans:

St Albans, Herts – Since it was founded in the eighth century, Britain’s oldest pub has had many names – but since 1872, the St Albans establishment has been known as Ye Olde Fighting Cocks because of its history of cockfighting, a blood sport that has been illegal in the UK since the 1800s. But in a letter sent to the pub this morning, PETA suggest updating its name one more time to Ye Olde Clever Cocks – in recognition of society’s growing compassion for animals and in celebration of intelligent, sensitive chickens. A photo of PETA’s proposed new logo is available here.
“Today, kind people are appalled by the thought of forcing birds to fight to the death, and more people than ever are making the compassionate choice not to eat chickens, either”, says PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi. “Changing the name of Britain’s oldest pub to Ye Olde Clever Cocks would reflect today’s rejection of needless violence and help celebrate chickens as the intelligent, sensitive and social animals they are.”
In its letter, PETA notes that chickens have unique personalities and sophisticated social behaviour. They mourn when they lose a loved one, have distinct vocalisations that they use to communicate with each other, and woo one another through elaborate mating dances. But chickens raised and killed for food spend their lives inside cramped cages or sheds, and many have their throats slit when they’re still conscious and able to feel pain.
That’s why PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or to abuse in any other way” – is also offering to supply the establishment with enough animal-free mock chicken to feed a hungry pub crowd and, as the group writes, “give everyone the taste of chicken without any of the cruelty and killing”. The group concludes its letter by saying, “When it comes to chickens, be a lover, not a fighter – go faux, not foe!”

Everyone knows that PETA pulls these stunts for publicity, just like the Westboro Baptist Church. Methinks that PETA UK was tired of their better known American brethren getting all the attention, and decided that the most effective way to piss off as many people as possible was an assault on Great Britain’s oldest pub. Well, it worked. People are up in arms, and here I am talking about PETA and how ridiculous of an organization they are.

Here’s the proposed logo change:

Thus far all PETA has really done is lead to record sales for the bar, as on their website Ye Olde Fighting Cocks claim that they had their biggest sales day in the 1,222 year history of St. Albans bar.