STORY about Direct Action posted on December 22, 2012 by fortotalliberation

Day of action against Canada Goose Rocks Downtown

Anti goosedown and fur protesters disrupt business-as-usual

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  On December 22, a hardy group of activists braved downtown Vancouver's consumer-crazy shopping district to respond to a call-out for a national day of action against the down and fur company Canada Goose, a company inflicting animal torture, cruelty and murder through the manufacturing and sale of down and fur products.  The stated point of these national protests was to disrupt business for an hour on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and to draw attention to the horrible atrocities being inflicted upon the animals murdered for fashion. 

The lowdown on down and fur:

Down is the soft layer of feathers closest to birds’ skin, primarily in the chest region. These feathers are highly valued because they do not have quills. Most products labeled “down” contain a combination of these underfeathers and other feathers or fillers.

Most down comes from birds who are victims of the meat and foie gras industries. Ducks and geese often have their throats cut and are then scalded in hot water to remove large feathers.  Sometimes, the birds are still conscious when they are dumped into the tanks of hot water.

In addition to obtaining down from slaughtered birds, a large amount of down is torn from the bodies of birds who are still alive.  Workers have been caught on video pulling handfuls of feathers from geese so violently that the birds’ skin ripped open, leaving them with gaping wounds that the workers crudely sewed back together without using any anesthetics. One worker was photographed sitting on a goose’s neck to prevent her from escaping during the procedure. Up to 5 ounces of feathers and down are pulled from each bird every six weeks from the time they are 10 weeks old until they are up to 4 years old.

As for fur, over one and a half million animals, primarily minks and foxes, are killed each year on fur factory farms in Canada. These animals live in horrific conditions in tiny, filthy cages, are denied basic care and denied the ability to satisfy their most basic instinctual behaviours. Their suffering peaks at the time of their slaughter, when they are killed in one of four ways—gassing, neck-breaking, lethal injection or anal or vaginal electrocution.  Many animals don't even see the light of day before they are slaughtered to grace the necks of the bourgeois.

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  Upon arrival at the Art Gallery, the activists were greeted by two police officers, who laid down "ground rules" for the demo.  They assured the protesters that they were there for the safety of the demo, and wanted to act as escorts, keeping protesters safe from traffic and angry shoppers.  When asked who the organizer of the demonstration was, good security culture rules were followed, and it was stated that no one was the organizer.  The police also made it clear that if any property destruction occurred, there would be arrests, and that the group was to respect business, and to allow people to shop in peace.  After the two police officers sauntered off, a quick rundown of the plan was gone over, where it was stated that each person could do whatever they felt comfortable with, and no person or group was in control of this demo.

  The protesters then took to the streets, taking up half of Georgia and then turning onto Granville Street.  Cat masks, a large banner reading "Total Liberation: None are Free Until All Are Free", a dozen protesters, and about the same number of police officers created some commotion, and the incessant chanting was surprisingly loud for just a dozen people.  Downtown is good for one thing, I guess: echoes.  

  The march arrived at the first target, Holt Renfrew, a high end fashion store containing lots of Canada Goose products.  The police created a barricade of the doors before any protesters could get in, and protesters shook the windows of Holt Renfrew with their chanting.  A few passers-by stopped to hold a sign, and many leaflets detailing the reason for the protest were handed out.  The message rang loud and clear: down and fur are cruel, and those protecting, wearing and profiting off such cruelty are complicit in animal torture.  It seemed that much business was deterred: for some reason, people don't want to walk into a store through a line of police officers. 

  After nearly an hour outside Holt Renfrew, the group marched around the corner to the notorious Snowflake Furs.  This shop has been a constant target for animal liberation activists, with weekly above-ground protests, and more covert attacks to their property.  Upon arrival, the police again barricaded the doors with their bikes and yellow-jacketed selves, and when the large banner was held right against them displaying the total liberation message, they tried to push it away, but the persistent banner holders stood their ground and ended up creating a double barricade of Snowflake's doors.  The co-owner of the store, Megan Halprin, climbed up in the window display to take pictures of the demo (probably to turn in as evidence later), and her presence buoyed the energy of demonstrators, who kept chanting until their voices were hoarse.  Upon seeing Halprin, at least one middle finger could be seen pointing in her general direction.  No sympathy for animal torturers.  The demo dispersed after causing solid ruckuses outside two businesses that profit from the torture of animals.  No arrests.