Georges Laraque’s plea to boycott a pig festival in rural Quebec has reportedly backfired, as the event in Sainte Perpétue attracted record crowds this year, according to festival official Marc-André Boisclair.
Laraque, a former NHL enforcer-turned animal rights activist, denounced the little-known event at the end of June, describing the greased pig races in particular, as “disgusting” and “degrading.”
A petition denouncing such porcine pursuits has since attracted over 17,000 signatures.
Festival organizers reacted by noting that no pig has ever been hurt in the 37 years that the contests have taken place.
Boisclair said that a veterinarian closely monitors the event, which forbids competitors from catching a pig by the ear, leg or tail.
He also noted that proceeds - tickets cost between $6 for kids and $20 per day for adults - serve to finance good causes.
The festival closes today with a performance by Quebec band Les BB. Other musical performers included Alex Nevsky, Alexandre Barrette, Patrice Lemieux, Éric Lapointe, Marie-Mai, Boogat and Marc Dupré.
Sainte Perpetue is a town of under 1,000 that sits about 130 km northeast of Montreal.
-With a file from The Canadian Press
