Vegan activist begs for £14,000 to reclaim her passport so she can travel to UK protest

A vegan activist, who went bankrupt after a court found she had defamed a vet, is now trying to raise money so she can leave Australia to go to the "world's biggest vegan camp out" in the UK.

Tash Peterson and her boyfriend Jack Higgs had their passports taken from them when they filed for bankruptcy back in May when they were ordered to pay £134,000 (AUD280,000) in damages. They had been found to have published defamatory claims that a Perth vet was "eating her own patients", with Ms Peterson also claiming the court battle left her personal accounts "wiped", news.com.au reports.

The controversial couple have now returned to social media this week where they have urged their supporters to donate to a GoFundMepage they have set up to help pay $30,000 ordered by their bankruptcy trustees, with claiming it was to "prevent" them leaving the country. In a video posted on their channels, Peterson said: "Because of this, we are trying to raise funds so that I can give my speech at the Vegan Camp Out."

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“The only purpose of our trip is to speak up for non-human animals. Not to run away. We only have one week to raise the $30,000 [£14,000]”.

The GoFundMe is being ran by Peterson's mum, Sally, with the page urging people to put their hands in their pockets. On the page, it said: "Contributing to this bond will support their case for travel, and under special conditions such as they return to Australia and give their passports back, the bond will be returned.

"If the funds are returned, all donations will be directed to the Farm Transparency Project, supporting ongoing animal rights activism."

Since the GoFundMe went live this week, the couple took to Instagram where they defended their decision to set up the fundraiser and addressed concerns. Higgs further said they were "not pressuring anyone" to donate to the fundraiser, with people free to donate if they wish.

Peterson is listed as a speaker at the event in Hertfordshire, and addressing why they simply cannot conduct their speech to the crowd, Higgs continued to say "live streaming cannot replace being in person" due to them networking at the event.

Peterson also explained they cannot be certain the money will be donated to charity following their two month trip to the UK.

At the time of writing, the couple have already amassed almost $3,458 towards their "business trip" to the two month protest.

Peterson and Higgs have a unique relationship, as the doting boyfriend has no problem with his partner stripping off in public and insists it's all for a good cause. He even helps Peterson apply body paint before her raunchy protests and films her message-spreading videos on an adult website.

Speaking to Australian media outlet Tash said: "I use my body to raise awareness for those who have no bodily autonomy, whether it be topless or close to being nude and I think it works brilliantly to raise awareness for animals."

Tash said that her work helps her spread her message further, and also boosts her income so she can focus more fully on animal rights activism.