For the most part this weekend's Edinburgh Meadows Festival was uneventful. Passers-by coughed "MEP" around the Scottish Conservative Stall. The ACE stall, relieved not to be the weirdest presence, made mocking allusions to 911 Truth. However, the festive atmosphere was tainted when Edinburgh based animal rights group 'Bunnyhuggers' had their stall banned.
The group, after learning that another stall was selling reindeer skins, started a dialogue with the stall owner and began passing out leaflets to passers-by. Not content with such an intrusion, the stall owner promptly ejected the campaigners. As they continued to hand out leaflets nearby, the stall owner was called and – no doubt terrified with what a few peaceful campaigners might attempt – the police were summoned on their emergency number.
Upon arriving the police expressed surprise at the minor nature of the events and politely asked the campaigners to keep their distance and avoid causing alarm. While the astute legal student might infer that a breach of the peace was taking place, the police at no point made allusion to any legal matters or threatened anyone with arrest.
After this had passed, the Bunnyhuggers were approached by the stall owner, refunded their holding money and were banned from returning the next day.
Regarding the events, a spokeperson for the group said:
"It was extremely disappointing to see a stall selling reindeer skins allowed by the Meadows Festival Association in the first place. Not only was the stall co-ordinator extremely abusive towards us but passer-by's who chose to complain about the skins."
Perhaps pointing out the obvious remains a subversive activity after all!
Bunnyhuggers
Bunnyhuggers are an Edinburgh-based Animal Rights group, focusing primarily on the fur trade and animal based research.
Their principal campaign 'Edinburgh Fur Free City' promotes a boycott of clothing companies that use fur (Armani, the Gold Bros chain etc). Despite production of fur being banned in the UK, it is still entirely legal for companies to import fur from various parts of the world. Currently, the group is drawing attention to the amount of real fur used in traditional Scottish sporrans and calling for a moratorium on their use.
On this topic the group themselves have stated:
"There remain, however, several stores in Edinburgh selling real-fur products -particularly sporrans. Recent investigations reveal that most of the seal skin used in sporrans comes from the barbaric Canadian seal hunt and we are campaigning against Gold Brothers, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and other kilt makers organising weekly protests, picketing, tabling events and demos."
The 'Bunnyhuggers' are also involved in spreading awareness and organizing boycotts of companies that use animal testing such as Proctor and Gamble.
More information can be found at:
Re: Meadows Festival Maligned by Political Censorship
Hmm, Why were bunnyhuggers not just content to have a stall, instead of causing such a scene provoking and verbally attacking people, was this stall holder breaking the law by selling fur's of which it is his actual right's to carry out. You shot yourself in the foot by loosing your stall. Sometimes people do not agree with what other people do, but this does not give you the higher ground or the right to attack them or say they are wrong, you do have the right to educate and protest, which you should have done from your stall. you lost the stall for a 30 minute direct action protest against another stall holder, where you could have educated and spoken to many more people who could have supported your cause and made a real difference.