Legendary musician Paul McCartney has recently called for the closure of East Asian wet markets, calling the practice of eating bats “a little medieval.” Wet markets are known to sell freshly slaughtered animals, where they are popular in countries such as China.
McCartney, who has been a well known animal rights activist and vegetarian since the mid 1970s, made these comments during his recent appearance on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM show. “I really hope that this will mean the Chinese government says, ‘OK, guys, we have really got to get super hygienic around here.’ Let’s face it, it is a little bit medieval eating bats,” he stated during the interview.
The artist also called on celebrities to call for the shutdown of these markets, which have existed for a long time, and are considered an integral of the culture for some East Asian communities.
“It’s not a stupid idea, it is a very good idea,” he explained. “They don’t need all the people dying. And what’s it for? All these medieval practices. They just need to clean up their act. This may lead to it. If this doesn’t, I don’t know what will.”
He then went on to state that the country may as well “be letting off atomic bombs,” because the markets are “affecting the whole world.” Some have blamed the spread of COVID-19 from bats to humans on these wet markets, although it has not been proven to be a direct cause of transmission as of press time.
“They might as well be letting off atomic bombs, because it’s affecting the whole world. Whoever is responsible for this is at war with the world and itself,” McCartney asserted.
The former Beatle went on to respond to the backlash there will be against calling for the closure of these wet markets, comparing the practice to slavery. “They did slavery forever too, but you have to change things at some point,” McCartney concluded.
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