Paul McCartney supports Brussels Rally for Seals
1 July 2008
Today (Tuesday 1 July) activists from across Europe met in Brussels for a mass rally in support of a European Union ban on the seal product trade. An announcement on the trade is expected from the European Commission later this month.
A video statement from Paul McCartney was broadcast at the rally.
Paul McCartney said today: "Stopping the import of seal fur into the European Union could really put an end to this brutality once and for all – please ask the EU to ban this terrible trade today."
Today, 1st July, signifies the start of the Namibian seal hunt, the second largest seal slaughter in the world, second only the annual Canadian hunt.
Mark Glover, Director of Respect for Animals and Humane Society International (UK) said today: "I’ve witnessed firsthand the extreme suffering of baby seals in Canada and Namibia. Only a strong ban on seal product trade will stop the cruelty and meet the expectations of the European Parliament and European Citizens."
The rally, held outside the offices of the European Commission, drew activists from across Europe – including Germany, Slovakia, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Finland, UK, Sweden, Italy and Croatia. In addition to speeches from numerous Members of the European Parliament, footage from this year’s Canadian seal hunt was shown.