Voices is the Dorset Echo's weekly youth page - written for young people by young people aged 10 to 18 from across the country.

This week Emily Montgomery wonders if showing graphic images in Dorchester town centre is the best form of animal protest.

The meat and dairy industries have been met with controversy over the last few decades and more people are going meat-free for a healthier and animal-friendly lifestyle.

Vegan friendly products are now commonplace on supermarket shelving and there is a plethora of vegetarian cookbooks on offer.

Yet there are some that want to take negative exposure of the meat and dairy businesses to new heights.

One such activist group is the Anonymous for the Voiceless.

Originating in Brazil, and co-founded by Paul Bashir in April 2016, the group have made 8,493 demonstrations in over 806 cities worldwide. It was .

They use a ‘cube formation’ holding signs and laptops displaying the thought-provoking and graphic images of the meat and dairy industry.

November 3 was an 'international cube day' and 58 groups of activists throughout the UK flocked to make a stand, including in Dorchester.

By displaying distressing images of deceased animals, the activists hoped to bring home the negative impacts the meat and dairy industries have on our planet. They believe that not only do they take the lives of millions of animals but they also contribute towards deforestation and the loss of biodiversity.

We have desensitized ourselves to the issues that face the world and some may argue that by confronting people with what is happening in such a strong way may shock people into taking environmental issues more seriously.

But is this really portraying the activists’ point or simply terrifying families?

The campaigners wore masks to cover their faces and at that time of the demonstration, many young families were strolling through the streets of Dorchester and the images were immensely graphic. It could be argued that it was highly insensitive to expose children to such extreme pictures and the use of masks unnecessarily frightening.

This is a very emotive issue, with exceptionally strong opinions from both viewpoints, especially with Dorset’s renowned farmland and myriad of farms.

By Emily Montgomery