By Catherine Hess
More than 175 protestors braved a brisk and breezy Tuesday in Washington D.C. to put the heat on the Canadian Embassy about the country’s pending seal hunt, the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet. The hunt, scheduled to begin on March 29, is expected to take the lives of more than 300,000 baby harp seals on the ice floes of northeastern Canada.
Staffers from The Humane Society of the United States and Greenpeace USA joined dozens of others in the metropolitan D.C. area’s largest demonstration against the seal hunt. But they were not alone. The International Day of Action Against the Canadian Seal Hunt extended far beyond the nation’s capital. Protestors in 56 cities and 27 countries told Canada loud and clear: stop the seal hunt now.
On Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the Canadian Embassy, protestors used bullhorns, banners, chants, and speeches to send a message to embassy officials. They were led by HSUS staffers Pierre Grzybowski and Kelcey Meadows who shouted themselves hoarse leading chants of "We won’t buy Canada’s lies. We won’t buy Canada’s seafood," and "Think of the seals when you buy your meals."
Bundled against the chill, protestors expressed their outrage that Canada allows a relatively small number of commercial fishermen to bludgeon baby seals to death for their fur, just so these fishers can pocket extra change during their off-season.
What’s more, protestors promised to turn their anger into action against the fishermen: They promised to boycott Canadian seafood if the hunt isn’t halted. Even a German shepherd in the crowd wore a vest proclaiming: "Won’t eat Canadian seafood."
These messages certainly caught the attention of motorists and passengers traveling along Pennsylvania Avenue. Passengers in tour buses and taxis turned their heads to read signs that said: "Save the Seals - Don’t Buy Canadian Seafood" and "Do Something to Protect Seals."
Eight people crowded onto a park bench to make their signs more visible to traffic and embassy workers alike. Taxis, trucks, and cars responded by blasting their horns in support.
At each end of the sidewalk, volunteers handed flyers to passersby or asked them to sign postcards demanding a stop to the hunt. Protestor Vanessa Jones said a construction worker from a site next to the embassy took a leaflet, and told her how upset he was when he saw a TV news segment on the seal hunt.
‘Bloodiest in Canada’s History’
Mike Markarian, executive vice president of The HSUS, took a bullhorn to tell the assembly, "The seal hunt at the end of the month will be one of the bloodiest in Canada’s history. The ice in Canada will flow red with the blood of seals, some of them just 12 days old. We are launching an international boycott of Canadian seafood so the world can tell Canada that we will not stand by while they slaughter seals by the hundreds of thousands."
John Passacantando, executive director of Greenpeace USA, echoed Markarian’s remarks, noting that "here we have an issue where everyone agrees. It’s simply a travesty for the government of Canada to authorize the clubbing of 325,000 harp seals."
Many independent activists also wanted to tell off our northern neighbor.
Beth Lindenau took turns with her father holding an elaborate homemade sign that read: "Brutality," "This is where fur comes from," and "Boycott Canada." She found out about the seal hunt while researching a Canadian trip for her river guide club. She promptly cancelled the trip in protest.
Norma Bolten braved traffic and downtown parking prices to take a stand. When asked why, she replied simply, "I am against killing baby seals and against hurting animals in any way."
Long-time HSUS and Fund for Animals supporter Marilyn Meyers was at her third seal hunt protest. She remarked on the increased sentiment against the seal hunt. "I see a difference in the number of people here. More people going by are honking because they agree with us."
The Canadian Response
The reaction from the embassy was more inscrutable.
Police and security guards sealed off the embassy from the protesters with yellow tape and kept a close eye on the gathering. Embassy workers seemed to have been warned about the event and exited the massive building only from side or back doors.
A couple of young men wandering by, however, might serve as a gauge of public opinion on the seal hunt. They paused at the top of the embassy’s wide marble steps and watched the protest for a few minutes, then made a show of clapping in support.
The two men, like millions around the world and the majority of Canadians themselves, oppose the seal hunt. These people, and the seals, only need official Canadian hearts to thaw enough to stop it.
To learn more about the hunt and to sign the boycott pledge, visit www.protectseals.org.
Catherine Hess is the web specialist in charge of the Campaigns Department for The HSUS.
