This footage was filmed and produced 8 February 2024.

In a dramatic showdown at the Kimpton Fitzroy London hotel, University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) Chancellor Javier Reyes faced a heated confrontation with PETA U.K. supporters protesting the school's controversial menopause experiments on marmoset monkeys. The charged atmosphere erupted as Reyes stepped up to the microphone, only to be met with a wave of demonstrators wielding signs that read, "UMass: Stop Torturing Marmosets." The incensed activists chanted slogans accusing UMass of subjecting innocent animals to gruesome procedures in the name of research, demanding an immediate halt to what they characterized as cruel and unnecessary practices.

Allegations against UMass include claims of researchers affixing electrodes to monkeys' skulls, inflicting neck incisions, water deprivation, prolonged periods of restraint, and other distressing actions aimed at studying menopause in marmosets, a species that reportedly does not naturally undergo menopause. The experimenters further purportedly go to extreme lengths by surgically removing the animals' ovaries, administering hormone-altering drugs, and using hand warmers to induce symptoms resembling hot flashes – methods decried as inhumane and ethically questionable by protesters.

PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna seized the opportunity to lambast Chancellor Reyes, condemning the apparent disparity between his luxurious existence at a London hotel and the stark suffering endured by marmosets confined to cages in UMass' laboratories. Dr. Chandna called on UMass to shut down what she described as a "shameful laboratory" and advocated for a shift towards more modern, animal-friendly research practices that hold greater relevance to human health and well-being.

Following the confrontation, PETA disclosed that they have been inundated with concerns from UMass alumni and benefactors regarding the school's alleged violations of animal welfare standards. Reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture citing instances of severe burns inflicted on a marmoset recovering from surgery, failure to promptly address veterinary care needs, and lapses resulting in the escape and injury of multiple monkeys have only served to heighten the scrutiny surrounding UMass' research activities and treatment of its animal subjects.