"All Animals Killed Humanely" Says Harvey Nichols, The Moral Cruella De Vil
With Harvey Nichols going back on their long-standing policies by continuing to sell fur and Liberty London teaming up with PETA to donate unwanted furs to the homeless, will the ongoing battle of the powerful verses the powerless ever end?Regardless of whether you’re pro-fur, anti-fur or on the fence about it, the ethical argument of fur withstands as one of the most ongoing battles – if you will – in today’s society. There are those fighting on behalf of the animals, those who simply choose to ignore it and those who shed no consideration towards the brutality, mistreatment and slaughtering of animals that occurs behind the scenes. In the words of Andras Forgacs, “In 30 years, when we look back on today and on how we raise and slaughter billions of animals to make our hamburgers and our handbags, we’ll see this as being wasteful and indeed, crazy.”
For decades, anti-fur protesters have shed light on the matter through passion-induced protests that not only open the eyes of those who observe, but provoke food for thought on behalf of passers-by. Only now, not only is it getting the message across; it’s getting on peoples’ last nerves. Harvey Nichols have created a campaign to prevent anti-fur protesters from protesting in or near their stores, with the ultimatum of banning them from going to their stores if they proceed to do so.
The debate is more profound now than ever, with anti-fur campaigners protesting outside the various different Harvey Nichols department stores in the UK. We spoke to Glenda Jones, a regular anti-fur protester outside the Harvey Nichols store in Knightsbridge, who puts into context why these protests occur so frequently even after no indication that Harvey Nichols will stop supplying it. “Department stores are responsible for a large share in clothing sales, they are often the first port of call for shoppers looking to buy the latest fashions at reasonable prices. What they stock is very influential... Harvey Nichols is a business. No business wants a bad name, it affects who buys what and where. Protesting outside is only one way of encouraging Harvey Nichols to re-instate their fur-free policy.”
With the anti-fur protesting escalating to the point where Harvey Nichols have actually applied for a 50m boundary as opposed to the 10m boundary that already exists for anti-fur protesters, Glenda Jones continues, “Protesters are very aware or the laws involved with protesting. It is your right to protest but not to physically bar people from entering a building. If anyone has seen or taken information and decided not to enter a shop based on this, it is always their choice.” As precautionary methods have been made on behalf of Harvey Nichols to prevent the protesting, it begs the question: how long will the protesting continue? To which Glenda said, “Protests are ongoing until a result has been reached. There are always a supply of people wanting to protest because it is really a brutal industry that needs highlighting.”
To build more of a perspective, we spoke to Joan Shaw – an animal activist – who has her own small business selling collectable mohair bears. She donates a percentage of sales to good causes including animal welfares and various charities. In terms of why consumers persist on buying genuine fur, she is clear in her views: “The psychology of wearing coats is that basically the wearer feels important, it’s a sign of prestige and success and the general view of real fur is that it’s distant to our idea of a pet so it makes it easier for the buyer to square this with their conscience. Perhaps this would strike a chord with the public more than any other animal. Don’t get me wrong, no animal should be killed, but a dog is a beloved animal, it’s the closest to us and one the public would be more appalled by if ill-treated than they would with other animals.”
This is evidently an argument that could go on for an unforeseeable amount of time, but it all pales into insignificance when compared to what these animals go through before they die. When an animal is in a cage alive, but just prior to being taken to be skinned, the next best thing that happens to it is when he or she takes their last breath. Joan continues, “The problem is demand, without demand there is no point in supplying. The answer is to persuade those who buy, not to buy. So to pursue those who are supplying, not to supply is pointless while ever there is demand. So the problem has to be tackled from the demand perspective.”
However, despite Harvey Nichols’ going back on their long-standing policies and continuing to sell fur, Liberty London – an equally influential department store in terms of how they influence the public – are renown for not selling fur and have collaborated with PETA. Following on from PETA’s success in donating unwanted fur coats to the homeless in Detroit in 2013, PETA UK have replicated the charitable project in the UK by donating furs to Liberty London as part of that store’s annual coat collection for the homeless. Hannah Levitt, Public Relations Officer for PETA UK said: “Liberty is one of many UK department stores who have a strict no-fur sales policy. Thanks to dozens of donors who dumped their furs in favour of kindness, PETA was able to send a vital message about having compassion for animals this winter – that only people desperately lacking basic necessities have any excuse to wear fur.” With regards to the indication of how many fur coats are likely to be donated, “95% of the British public refuse to wear real fur, so it is not surprising that we have an abundance of unwanted fur coats. As people realise the horrors of the violent and bloody fur industry, PETA receives weekly donations from the public of unwanted fur garments. We encourage people who may have bought fur coats in the past to donate these pieces into PETA. Although it is not possible to bring these animals back to life, we can help to promote the anti-fur message.”
These two high profile companies offer opposing stances on the argument. At one end, you have Harvey Nichols’ greed overriding their conscience, on the other end of the spectrum is Liberty who are actually acting in a way that benefits people – not just indulging in profits made as a result of countless animals being needlessly slaughtered. Some people are prepared to pay a lot of money for fur, but ultimately, the animal paid more.
