Police were called on a man in Amsterdam after he began eating a slab of raw meat at a vegan food festival.

Video of the incident shows the man, wearing a singlet with the slogan "Go vegan and die' written on it, standing calmly and taking bites from the meat which witnesses said was "dripping with blood".

Police were called after the man began eating the meat and attracting numerous complaints, with festival organisers saying he was standing among children.

The man is heard telling police on the video: "I was vegan and almost died. They're making everybody sick."

A spokesperson for the Vegan Food Festival told The Independent they were disappointed by the man's actions.

“While it is of course not forbidden to eat raw meat, it was of course a shocking sight because there was a puddle of blood and fat,” they said.

“Besides, there were lots of elderly people and children. At that time a special children’s programme was going on.

“It was a weird protest by the gentleman. This festival is about having fun and sharing new experiences.”

Police were unable to remove the man from the event given there are no laws around eating raw meat in public, but he soon left on his own account about an hour later.

The incident follows one in Toronto earlier this year when a restaurant owner began carving and eating a deer in front of animals rights protesters protesting his establishment.