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Relais
des associations
12, rue Delille 06000 NICE |
So
that here and now cruelty to animals
is no longer tolerated |
Tél
et Fax. 04.93.85.59.50
Sur Internet. www.stop-abus-animal.com |
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The
Manifesto of the Union for the Animals
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| In France, at the beginning of 2002, a list of some 200 associations contacted by the Union for the Animals made its appearance along with a Manifesto which aimed, according to its own affirmation, to present 'a program for legislative reform which the French Government should adopt or promote, where the question extends beyond the frontiers of the country'. | |||
| This method of presentation leads to confusion since many people believed that the 'contacted associations' supported the Union for the Animals and participated in the demonstration which it organized in Paris on March 23 of last year. Unfortunately, in the French tradition, the associations which do not agree with this Manifesto remain more or less silent on the subject. Even though there is little hope that this movement will become important, we regret the time and the resources wasted in this effort, resources which could have better served the animals' cause... | |||
| The Union for the Animals indicated last year that its manifesto 'is the reflection of a large part of the wishes of the French people'. It is useful to remember that through this Manifesto the Union for the Animals is speaking, not the French people... These words lead to confusion, as much as the list of associations contacted, which was not the list of associations supporting the Union and its Manifesto... | |||
| As for us, we consider unacceptable any demands which fix time periods ('short term, medium term') for the protection of animals and which, as a consequence, accept, for a given period, the continuation of the sufferings inflicted on animals. | |||
| It is clear that it is not for animal advocates to make concessions. If we do not demand an immediate end to abusive treatment, to the cruelties inflicted upon animals, who will demand it? | |||
| What would we think of associations which denounce the torture of human beings, if they proposed time periods for the banning of torture? | |||
| Let us look at some examples taken from the document in question : | |||
| 'Laboratory' animals | |||
| ... we ask for a substantial reduction in the suffering... (italiques ours) | |||
| Itinerant shows (notably circuses) | |||
| ... banning, in the short term, of the detention of wild species whose elementary needs are not compatible with circus menageries... [Domestic animals are forgotten... The only acceptable shows are those without animals... Italiques ours] | |||
| The New Companion Animals | |||
| ... the banning of certain species which do not adapt to detention by private individuals (primates, the big cats...)... [the exploitation of New Companion Animals is unacceptable.] | |||
| Zoos | |||
| ...the establishment of protected zones in which each species can benefit from a escape distance necessary for reproduction... [We must demand the closure of zoos and avoid the reproduction of the animals within.] | |||
| The Rights of the Great Apes | |||
| |And what about the other apes?] | |||
| Farm Animals | |||
| The Union is opposed to industrial farming and the exportation of live animals... (and what about the importation?] | |||
| Sea Mammals | |||
| Banning of the creation of delphinariums, even for scientific reasons, and the closure of those existing, in the medium term... (italiques ours) | |||
| The Fur Industry | |||
| ... | |||
| * The banning of the industrial farming of furbearing animals as well as the importing, the exporting and the marketing of fur and articles made by procedures forbidden in the European Union (italiques ours). | |||
| * An immediate banning, at the national level and the level of the European Union, of the importation and the marketing of dog and cat furs... [and the other furs?] | |||
| An authentic organization of animal protection associations in order to influence politicians could be justified if its demands and objectives were real measures to defend the interests of animals. Otherwise, the resulting mish-mash reminds us that the best way to render our work ineffectual is for our enemies to infiltrate our associations, or even to create others, to make sure that the demands of animal advocats do not trouble the status quo. Our enemies like to make the public think that something is happening, that someone is handling the problem; afterwards, the majority of people, naive, go to their homes and leave the way open for all kinds of compromises, all sorts of arrangements for the sharing of privileges and benefits... Good people give money, hoping to help bring about a solution to the problem of animal exploitation, but the state of affairs never changes, and still and always the suffering increases... | |||
| To really count for the animals, the priority of priorities is the raising of public consciousness, the education of consumers, because here is where the real power is, and this can, before any laws or politicians, bring about change in the conditions and the destiny of animals. | |||
| May each person who wants change for the animals begin with himself, with his own wallet, at the market, in the department stores, the pharmacy, the clothes shop, the choice of entertainment... and may s/he contribute to changing the attitudes of his/her entourage... May s/he not be discouraged, remembering that discouragement is a luxury which the animals do not enjoy. | |||
| All our work for animals is also work for ourselves, because in defending the weakest and the most vulnerable, we defend our own human dignity, and that of our species, which is so guilty in regard to the other creatures of the earth, towards the planet, and even towards the weakest and most vulnerable of humans. | |||
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Ladies!
Gentlemen!
Let Us Wake Up ! We Have Been Sleeping Too Long ! "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For indeed, that's all who ever have." Margaret Mead |
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