More Than 100 Activists To Strip Naked In London To Protest Guards’ Bearskin Hats

For Immediate Release:
19 May 2006

Contact:
Anita Singh 020 7357 9229 ext 228
Will Wright 020 7357 9229 ext 232

London – Wearing nothing but bear masks, more than 100 members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Europe – each representing one of the many black bears slaughtered in Canada for the palace guards’ hats each year – will hold a “die-in” by St. Paul’s Cathedral on Sunday. The protesters – some of whom will not be wearing masks and will be holding signs stating, “Bears Slaughtered for the Queen’s Guards – Indefensible!” – are calling on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Ministry of Defence to stop the cruel killing of bears for the guards’ ceremonial headwear.

The protest comes as Parliamentary Early Day Motion number 1756, which calls for the use of faux fur in the guards’ hats, has garnered more than 170 MPs’ signatures:

It can take the entire hide of one bear to make just one hat. Some bears killed for the hats are shot several times before they die, and some escape and bleed to death. When mother bears are killed, orphaned cubs are left behind to starve.

“The Ministry of Defence has blood on its hands while it allows bears to be slaughtered for ceremonial caps when beautiful synthetics are available”, says PETA Campaign Coordinator Anita Singh. “The naked truth is that tradition does not justify outright cruelty.”

The PETA “bear” continues to dog Prince Charles at his royal engagements and will keep doing so until the prince exerts his influence to end Britain’s involvement in the cruel slaughter.

For more information, please visit PETA’s Web site PETA.org.uk.