Amy Soranno was released from custody shortly after her arrest along with six other women who had chained themselves to the front doors of Interior Savings Credit Union in Kelowna Monday Morning. As she was taken away in the back of a police vehicle Monday afternoon, she told KelownaNow the protest will not be the last.

The protest has drawn plenty of criticism, but in an interview here at our offices, she said that's all part of the effort to get people to start thinking about eating in a kinder and more sustainable way. But Soranno said she didn't actually expect the credit union to end it's sponsorship of RibFest on the spot, but she was disappointed with the response they did get. "I didn't expect them to be as dismissive as they were," she said. "I was hoping that they would acknowledge our concerns about the climate and the animals a little bit more. They completely disregarded that."

Photo credit: NowMedia

Meanwhile, a co-sponsor of the event, the Sunrise Rotary Club has come out in support of Interior Savings. "We thank Interior Savings for their support for our RibFest event over the past four years. With their help, and the help of every visitor to the event, we raise funds that benefit our community," said Chris Murphy, RibFest chair. The Rotary club went on to point out the charitable elements of the event, and you can read more about that here.

The question is often asked. You choose to be a vegan, I choose to eat meat, do you have to tell me how to be?

"What about the rights of the animals. Shouldn't they have a choice?" is Sorrano's reply.

And in the comments section beneath our Facebook post was mostly negative about the protest. Soranno said that was expected. "I'm a vegan living in a predominantly non-vegan world, so I expect that criticism and that sort of backlash and ultimately, I'm okay with it and, in fact, I welcome it." She said she's glad they're even thinking about it. "They're feeling affected," Soranno added. "There's a moral conflict within them and whether that comes out as hatred towards us or mockery, they're feeling something."

Photo credit: NowMedia

As for the police handling of the event, she had no beef, so to speak.

"They treated us like they should have treated us."

It's not likely that the group will target Interior Savings again, at least not immediately, but Soranno said there will be more events like the one we saw on Monday.

"Absolutely, this is just the start." "We are going to continue escalating our actions until we are taken seriously."