Harrods Summer Sale hit by fur protest

Around 30 protesters held a vibrant and effective demo at the the opening of Harrods Summer Sale on July 2nd, a great turnout for at 8 o'clock in the morning. The sale was due to be officially opened by the American actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fame.

See some video clips of the demo

As we gathered by door number 5 to await the opening ceremony, a four piece string quartet played on a large stage which had been erected especially for the occasion. Between the music we used a megaphone to inform the waiting shoppers and media about Harrods' involvement with the fur trade, while others handed out leaflets.

At 9am, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar arrived in a horse drawn carriage, and preceded by a Scottish bagpipe band, where she was greeted by Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed. A loud chant of "Fur Trade Death Trade" and "Shame on Harrods" echoed around the specially built stage. Together with the many placards, the fur protest was very prominent, though you would never know from the media reports.

A large crowd of around 35 photographers and film crews were in attendance, and took many photos and film footage of the demo. The subsequent news reports about the opening of the sale played down the protest, some completely ignored it. Because it was impossible to film Gellar's arrival without the protest, nearly all the news items were accompanied instead by photos of Gellar and Al Fayed inside the store, posing with Al Fayed's two small dogs.

Nevertheless, the protest got a mention in many newspapers and websites around the world. And more importantly we ensured that yet again, another PR stunt organised by Harrods was accompanied by an effective fur protest. In December we protested at the Winter Sale, see here

Harrods protests take place every Saturday and some weekdays, contact london@caft.org.uk for details

Please politely email, phone, fax, write to Harrods to request that it takes the compassionate decision to n stop the sale of all real animal fur and adopt a fur-free policy. Remember to point out that fur farming is illegal in the UK, so they should come into line with the wishes of the British public and the democratic will of Parliament.

If you get any replies please forward them to us.

Harrods Ltd 87-135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge London SW1X 7XL
Telephone 020 7730 1234
Fax 020 7581 0470
customer.services@harrods.comHarrods Corporate Service
corporate.service@harrods
+44 (0)20 7225 5843Other email addresses

Ladies.fashion@harrods.com
service@harrods-casino.com
direct.mail@harrods.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see a video clip of some of the demo, click on the link. Quality isn't good, and the first part shows just sound, but it shows the arrival of the actress and the bagpipe band. click here