DxE News of the Week: PUBLIC SUPPORTS DXE’S EFFORTS TO HELP DONKEYS IN ITALY, L.A. READY TO BAN FUR, August 10 – August 16, 2018
DxE News of the Week:
PUBLIC SUPPORTS DXE’S EFFORTS TO HELP DONKEYS IN ITALY, L.A. READY TO BAN FUR, August 10 – August 16, 2018
DxE News round-up by Rasa Petrauskaite
Animal Rights News round-up by Leslie Goldberg
CORRIERE ITALY: ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS, INCLUDING DXE, PROTEST CRUELTY AGAINST DONKEYS IN SANTORINI, ITALY
Donkeys in Santorini, Italy are exhausted in the scorching sun and crushed by the weight of the tourists whom they have to transport up and down steep stairways each day. “Donkey rides begin at 9 am every morning and end at sunset, with the donkeys averaging seven round trips, from the harbor to the village of Fira, or nearly 600 steps,” DxE Italy organizer Maria Astradeni Scourta told the French TV station France 24. There are laws to protect the donkeys, but no one enforces them. In July, DxE Italy protested this cruelty against the donkeys, and the activists were attacked by an angry mob of donkey owners; two of the protesters were hospitalized. In addition to DxE, there are several other animal rights groups protesting the cruelty. A French publication, Europe 1 France, reported last week that many people on social media are denouncing the cruelty against the donkeys. The article features a video of an owner of a donkey who is seen hitting the donkey’s face with a stick. An online petition to “STOP ANIMAL ABUSE OF DONKEYS AND HORSES IN SANTORINI” has gathered over 100,000 signatures. Europe 1 France incorrectly refered to DxE as a “militant” organization,” whereas the Italian publication Corriere Italy describes DxE as “peaceful.”
INDY BAY: ACTIVISTS PROTEST INHUMANE CONDITIONS AT WHOLE FOODS/AMAZON SUPPLIER PETALUMA FARMS
Indy Bay writes: “Responding to undercover video footage of cruelty, activists with the international animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) marched to a Petaluma factory egg farm which supplies to Whole Foods on July 30. Citing evidence that chickens were starving, cannibalizing one another, and suffocating in feces, the activists asked to be allowed to bring the chickens water and food, and to remove those in need of medical care. They presented a legal opinion in defense of their actions, which references California Penal Code 597e which makes it a crime to physically harm or neglect an animal, as legal grounds for intervention.” The protest was also covered by Citizen Truth however the writer incorrectly wrote that DxE protested Petaluma Farms in May, rescuing 37 hens, and then returned there in late July. In fact, in May DxE brought 500 activists to Sunrise Farms in Petaluma for a mass open rescue, then protested at Petaluma Farms in July after receiving recent footage of animal abuse at that farm. In January 2015, DxE went public with the network’s first open rescue investigation, conducted during 2014 at Petaluma Farms and showing serious animal abuse there. The Citizen Truth article includes a DxE video narrated by DxE organizer Cassie King that explains that nothing has changed since the 2014 investigation and that criminal animal cruelty is continuing at Petaluma Farms.
DAILY DOT: ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA POLICE HAVE MONITORED DXE
In a number of cities across the country, Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists are being targeted and monitored by the police. In Asheville, North Carolina, after the police shot a black man and the tensions rose, the police began monitoring several groups, including DxE. DxE is incorrectly described as an “activist vegan organization.”
OTHER ANIMAL RIGHTS NEWS
THE INDEPENDENT: HORSE SUES FORMER OWNER FOR NEGLECT
A horse “owner” who was convicted of animal abuse for failing to both feed the horse and provide the horse with shelter is being sued by his victim – the horse, who is now named “Justice.” Justice, through legal representatives, is asking for $100,000 to be placed in a trust for his care. Justice now resides in a sanctuary in Oregon. The case goes to the question of whether animals have “legal standing” and the right to sue in court. Previously, courts in the United States and elsewhere have said no. Keep your fingers crossed!
HSUS: ILLINOIS BANS INTRASTATE SALE OF IVORY AND RHINO HORN
Joining the states of California, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Hawaii, Oregon, New Hampshire and Nevada, Illinois will be restricting the sale of ivory and rhino horn to ensure that Illinois doesn’t contribute to the wildlife trade.
EVENING STANDARD: PAINTING PONIES WITH CHALK-BASED MARKERS DRAWS COMPLAINTS
Some 60,000 people signed a petition protesting a new fad – children at birthday parties painting ponies. A spokesperson for PETA said ponies are not “party props” and should be treated with respect, adding, “The first lesson a child should be taught is the Golden Rule – to treat others as you would wish to be treated.”
ONE GREEN PLANET: L.A. IS ABOUT TO JOIN BERKELEY, SF AND HOLLYWOOD IN BANNING FUR
An L.A. City Council committee voted on Aug. 15, 2018 to pass a law banning the sale of fur in Los Angeles. The full City Council will decide soon if the measure should be passed to the City Attorney to draft legislation and to present to the mayor for his signature.
PETA: ANIMAL RIGHTS GETS A SOUNDTRACK
PETA has put together a playlist with everything from the Smiths’ “Meat is Murder” to more obscure tracks such as the reggae “Health Is Wealth” by Macka B. It’s all available on Spotify. According to PETA, the music transcends cultures and taste. “No matter your musical taste, there’s something to inspire the activist in you,” PETA says.
