I’ve been thinking about this question since both communists and vegans are well known for being demonized by capitalist countries, and so I thought “maybe PETA might also be demonized since it’s an animal rights organization”. Of course, all I know about PETA is that they make parody games, and that everyone seems to dislike them, so feel free to prove that I am in fact stupid.
They’re not evil but they’re also not good. They’re Anarchist-Liberal Idealists who are more radical than you would expect given their name recognition.
They are people who believe the economic and social exploitation of animals must be ended, immediately, and totally. And they aren’t shy about saying so. I have some respect for them for that.
The problem is that they are a single-issue group. They are not Marxists. They do not have a Marxist understanding of class relations and they do not make exceptions for indigenous peoples the same way we do not make exceptions for the practice of slavery or human sacrifice or cannibalism among indigenous peoples.
Are they hypocrites, or bought out by corporate interests, are they controlled opposition? No, they’re people who really believe their stuff and are doing their best. Are they our allies? On some issues, sure - on most, I don’t think so. I’m not a vegan and I’m perfectly fine with the exploitation of animals under Socialism. I like eating meat (and honey, and eggs, and I would say milk but I’m getting old and starting to get lactose intolerant) and having pets and wearing wool. We can make limited alliances with vegan or other environmental groups to advance certain causes, but we cannot align ourselves fully with them.