Anti-fur activists show some skin in Barcelona

MORE than 100 animal rights activists gathered in Barcelona to stage a nude protest against the wearing of fur on Sunday December 11.

The protesters smeared themselves in fake blood and huddled together in a bid to simulate the appearance of animal carcasses. Several of the activists held Spanish and English signs with the phrase ‘How many lives for just a coat?’ written across them.

The event was organised by the animal rights’ association Anima Naturalis. It is the 11th consecutive year that the group has organised these protests, which were held in various cities around the world. In Barcelona, the protest took place in Plaza Catalunya, right in the city centre. 

Representatives from Anima Naturalis stated that the event had been organised in an effort to “give a voice to the millions of defenceless animals which are maimed and killed on a yearly basis.”

Statistics provided by the group have indicated that every year, more than 60 million animals are killed to make clothing, with 70 per cent of these being in Europe. Denmark and Finland are the world’s largest producers of mink and fox fur. 

“Nowadays, there are many ways to be fashionable without having to steal the skin and life of an animal,” argued the Director of Anima Naturalis in Spain, Aida Gascon.