Club-Wielding ‘Neanderthals’ Declare, ‘Only Cavepeople Wear Fur!’

Activists in Prehistoric Garb Urge International Clothing Store MANGO to Forsake ‘Fossilized Fashion’

For Immediate Release:
9 December 2003

Contact:
Marianne Huiberts (BITE BACK) 0486 601666
Sean Gifford (PETA) +44 0773 457 9092

Antwerp, Belgium – Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world’s largest animal rights organization, and local group BITE BACK – wielding clubs and draped in animal skins donated by former fur-wearers – will descend on downtown store MANGO and urge shoppers not to re-enter the Stone Age, declaring, ‘Only Cavepeople Wear Fur’. Other activists will hand out leaflets showing graphic images of animals raised and killed for their fur.

Date:  Wednesday, 10 December
Time:  1:30 pm sharp
Place:   Beddenstraat 2 (Shopping Centre/Groenplaats) Antwerpen

Animals trapped for fur suffer excruciating pain, often for days, before having their chests stomped or necks broken by trappers. Beavers caught in underwater traps struggle frantically before drowning. On fur farms, animals spend their lives in tiny, filthy cages, where they suffer physical and psychological distress before being killed by poisoning, gassing, anal electrocution or neck-breaking.

Fur is a relic of prehistoric times, when it was the only thing to keep primitive people from freezing. Today’s lightweight synthetics, such as Gore-Tex, are much more efficient at keeping people warm. Faux fur or no fur is more in tune with current concerns about the mistreatment of animals.

Two weeks ago, MANGO Holland pulled all the fur from its stores after anti-fur protests, but to date, MANGO Belgium has not even responded to faxes and letters asking them to follow the lead of other clothing stores, such as C&A and H&M, by going fur-free.

‘Neanderthals weren’t known for their fashion sense’, says PETA Director of European Campaigns Sean Gifford. ‘Fur-wearers make themselves look like fashion Neanderthals by walking around in coats that belong in a natural history museum.’

For more information about PETA’s Fur Campaign, visit FurIsDead.com.