Photos: Helle Vendelbo
Taking a Stand Against a Horrific Industry
Every year, around 100 million animals are killed in the fur industry.That's about 200 animals every single minute. That's why hundreds of animal rights activists gathered in Copenhagen on Saturday, February 25 to protest this horrific industry.
The demonstration began at City Hall Square, where the band Frø took the stage, energizing the activists. Their powerful protest music inspired the crowd to chant slogans like “Fur industry is animal cruelty!” and “Animal fur is not fashion, where the hell is your compassion?!.”
After music and rallying chants, we marched through Copenhagen’s streets, shouting those same slogans at full volume. We paused at every fur shop to remind them of the horrible industry they profit from. Along the way, we received many approving nods and thumbs up. There’s no doubt Copenhageners are ready for a fur-free future — it’s just the politicians who are falling behind.
At the start of the year, our government chose to reinstate the worst forms of animal abuse by reopening the mink industry. Meanwhile, rabbits and chinchillas have never had a break from cramped wire cages and their unjust fates. Just days ago, on March 16, another parliamentary proposal to ban mink farming in Denmark was put forward — and once again, it failed. This directly contradicts the rest of Europe, where 17 of 27 countries have already banned fur production, and 7 others are considering bans. Additionally, the EU citizens’ initiative Fur Free Europe collected over 1.5 million signatures to end fur in Europe. That this industry still exists in Denmark makes no sense.
"I will never, ever understand how a life in a cage can be all an animal knows. "
At the February 25 demonstration, it was clear many activists were deeply moved by the horrors of the fur industry. After the march, we gathered to hear speeches and music. One speaker, activist Ellen, said, “I will never, ever understand how life in a cage is all an animal has known. I can’t imagine a mink, fox, chinchilla, or rabbit ever considering that all the suffering they endure is just so their skin can be decoration on humans.” Her words brought tears to many.
The demonstration continued with heartfelt speeches from other activists like Dyrenes Ambassadør campaign leader Maya and her 12-year-old sweet son David, longtime animal advocate Mathias from Anima, and the tireless activist Kikki from CAFT Denmark. After these moving talks, we closed with music — a beautiful acoustic performance of the song Liberation by artist Rod, followed by catchy tunes from the band Soy Boys, who fittingly ended the day with the song No to Fur.
Activism Continued After the March
After the demonstration ended, activists from CAFT kept the fight alive by protesting outside Max Mara for their sales of fur, as part of CAFT’s global pressure campaign against the brand. Finally, we gathered at Folkets Hus for a warm vegan community meal.
That day, many wise words were shared about the importance of our struggle, the critical need to care for ourselves in the fight, and how vital it is never to forget who we fight for. We could fill pages with quotes and descriptions of the day, but we believe the activists who traveled all the way from Sweden to join us summed it up best:
"We will not stop fighting when every cage is comfortable, we will stop when every cage is empty."
Want to know more? Also read the post “Completely unacceptable, horrible, and backwards: The government wants to continue mink farming.” and “Dear Christiansborg: Ban mink farming permanently!”
