Torch-lit parades were held in 16 cities all over Norway on Saturday, as thousands marched to protest the country’s fur industry and to champion animal welfare.
Local celebrities Erik Poppe and Brita Møystad Engseth were among those speaking against the fur industry, which repeatedly has been found to treat animals badly, as several hundred demonstrators gathered in front of the Parliament Building in Oslo.
“It’s possible to mobilize a majority to bring an end to the fur industry on the grounds of cruelty to animals, ” Shabana Rehman Gaarder, an entertainer who now works with the animal rights organization NOAH, told the crowd. “It’s possible to make a difference.”
Other demonstrations took place from Kristiansand in the south to Tromsø in the north. Norway’s controversial fur industry has continued to be protected by the agricultural industry and parties including the Center Party, but intense lobbying may shift the majority in Parliament.
newsinenglish.no staff
