Brian May recently shared a post on his official Instagram account, where he turned down the opportunity to mark Queen’s latest achievement.
The guitarist initially included a photo of a study where a team discovered a method using Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ to help people with diabetes control their insulin. May wrote the following about it:
“So! Who would have guessed?! ‘We Will Rock You’ can be good for your health! I’m happy about that. But I’m not at all happy that these scientists tortured mice to find that out. It’s now well known that many drugs and procedures that work in mice or rats do not work in humans. ‘Proving’ drugs in non-human animals was the cause of the terrible tragedy with Thalidomide some years ago.”
He continued, further expressing his thoughts on animal testing:
“And, ethically, causing pain to one species to cure the ills of another is clearly unjustifiable. So, the laws requiring tests on animals must be changed. I’m horrified that these scientists could gaily make these unfortunate animals suffer to prove a point that should have been made using human volunteers.”
May clarified why he declines to celebrate the Queen’s achievement:
“Then, I would have been smiling. But this? It’s so easy to gloss over the disgusting way we treat animals. It has to stop. It’s high time that scientists became responsible for what they do. Time they took responsibility for the way they behaved. I will not be celebrating this news tonight.”
It is publicly known that the musician is a strong advocate for animal rights through his organization ‘Save Me,’ which works to protect animals from cruelty and extinction, with a focus on preventing the hunting of foxes and culling of badgers. He also supports other organizations like RSPCA, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the League Against Cruel Sports, and PETA UK.
A while ago, he took to his official Instagram account to voice his displeasure about Boxing Day, which is a traditional hunting event, and also expressed support for Stella McCartney, who is calling for a ban on this day, writing:
“Bravo, Stella! Hoping all the concerned campaigns can collaborate on a new push forward to end this appalling cruelty. More power to you and all your great humane work.”
Below, you can see the photos he shared on his account.
