The upcoming dog meat festival in Yulin, southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region began to face increasing pressure from animal rights activists from home and overseas.

Over a dozen animal lovers from Beijing and Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning province delivered a petition letter with over 11 million signatures to the liaison office of Yulin in Beijing, calling for local authorities to stop the dog-slaughtering and dog-eating activity, according to animal rights protection NGO China Animal Protection Power.

In front of the Chinese Embassy in London on June 7, TV veterinarian Marc Abraham, UK Labour Party MP Rob Flello and model and reality TV star Lucy Watson also attempted to deliver a petition against the festival, the Associated Press reported.

In Jilin, in northeast China’s Jilin province, some 100 residents also rallied against the festival on June 4, according to what a local media outlet reported.

The dog and lychee-eating festival, formed spontaneously in the 1990s, is held every year on the summer solstice, which will fall on June 21 this year. It usually draws annual protests from animal rights activists and fierce debate between people who enjoy the tradition of dog eating and others who abhor the celebration.