Rally for Seals
1st July 2008
By Rebecca Aldworth
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| Citizens from all parts of the EU banded together for seals. |
Today has been an overwhelming and wonderful experience. More than 1,500 people came from all over Europe to gather in Brussels. Together we called for a total ban on seal product trade in the European Union.
Paul McCarney sent through a very special video message to be broadcast at the event. He described his famous visit to the harp seal nursery in 2006 with Humane Society International…what it meant to him, and the horror of knowing the slaughter would begin in just days.
As he read his speech, the cheers from the crowd were deafening.
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| HSI staff with EU Parliament members. |
Members of the European Parliament also described their experiences on the ice floes, bringing tears to the eyes of people present. In particular, I was thrilled to see Carl Schlyter at the rally. His trip with HSI in 2006 to bear witness to the Canadian seal hunt inspired him to draft a historic Written Declaration in the European Parliament calling for a EU ban on seal products. There, too, was Caroline Lucas, signatory to the Written Declaration. Her tireless efforts to promote a ban on seal product trade have brought us close to victory.
In a united voice, animal protection groups and our members called for a total ban on seal products.
Seeing the masses of people who have traveled from so many countries—as far away as Croatia—to be here, I felt my own eyes fill with tears. I have witnessed unspeakable suffering at the Canadian seal hunt each year for the past 10 years, but the will of the European people so well expressed by this massive assembled crowd can no longer be denied. I know that we will win.
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| People held signs for seals in multiple languages. |
The EU will ban seal product trade and millions of seals will be spared a horrible fate. I can see it in the eyes of the people at this rally and I can see it in the faces of the members of the European Parliament.
We will never give up.
"Deepest thanks," wrote one attendee later, "for holding this successful demonstration in Brussels to which I travelled from South Germany. It was an amazing and inspiring event which I will cherish in my memory for a long, long time. So many people from so many countries—all joining in a peaceful effort to put an end to the cruelty afflicted on seals. Dear friends, my warmest wishes and heartfelt thanks to you and to all the people who turned up yesterday with the one and only longing in their hearts—to stop the killing, ban the trade and let the seals live their lives in peace."—N. Fritsch
