Archives

While promoting her new book, How To Be A Bad Bitch, at a Barnes & Noble in New York City, Amber Rose, the 32-year old hip hop celebrity, was targeted by animal rights activists who loudly protested her consumption of fur until they were aggressively ejected from the Barnes & Noble store.

A security guard pushes anti-fur activist Angela D. out of line after she asks Amber Rose why she promotes the fur industry.

The actress, model, singer and fashion designer is perhaps best know for having dated rap star and fashion designer Kayne West, who frequently wears full length fur coats.

Kayne West & Amber Rose wear full length fur coats

The anti-fur activists – Rob Banks, Jaime Lee, Angela D. and Michelle – were quickly pushed from the immediate area of the book signing into an adjacent section of the store, but their anti-fur messages  – “anally electrocuted and skinned alive” – could be still be heard by Ms. Rose and the dozens of fans waiting in line to meet her.

Amber Rose has worn full length fur coats and other fur garments in public

Anti-fur activist Rob Banks, who, in recent months has staged high profile protests against Kim Kardashian and Rihanna said, “As expected, Ms. Rose’ fans were not at all happy to see us, but the disruption – and the reason behind it – will be what they remember most from the book signing. And perhaps some of them will take a moment to think about what they heard us say.”

A member of Amber Rose’ entourage sticks his tongue out at activists as her SUV leaves Barnes & Noble in Tribeca

Ironically, Amber Rose appeared in a reality TV show about Russell Simmons, the vegan hip hop mogul who routinely advocates for animal rights. Perhaps neither knew of the other’s stance on fur when the episode was shot in 2010.

Anti-fur activists disrupted Amber Rose’ book signing using this and other posters

On Columbus Day, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, dozens of animal rights activists in New York City staged a provocative anti-fur demonstration at the department store Macy’s, which sells fur garments in a section of the store called “The Fur Vault.”

Activist confronts fur salesman at Macy’s

The protest and educational outreach event, which was organized by the grassroots group Caring Activists Against Fur (CAAF), attracted the attention of thousands of pedestrians in midtown Manhattan.

Please boycott Macy’s and cancel your Macy’s credit card, if you have one. If you submit a photo of yourself holding a torn Macy’s card, TheirTurn will share it on social media to inspire others to boycott the store.

“The Fur Vault” at Macy’s sells hundreds of fur garments

As Rihanna promoted her new fragrance at a Brooklyn Macy’s on Monday afternoon, anti-fur activists staged a disruption near the musician, holding up posters and chanting, “Shame on Rihanna. Fifty dead animals; one fur coat.”

https://youtu.be/fDtVqZQL_wc

Rob Banks, one of the five activists who participated in the disruption, was swarmed by security guards as he approached the stage with his poster. All of the activists continued to chant and display their posters as they were expelled from the store.

NYC anti-fur activists Rob, Jaime, Michelle, Angela and MaCa disrupt Rihanna at Macy’s.

Anti-fur disruption at Rihanna’s fragrance promotional event in NYC.

Rihanna’s fur consumption has been the subject of several news stories in recent years. In May 2015, she wore a dress with fur trim the size of small swimming pool to the annual costume gala at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Rihanna wears fur dress to the costume gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In December, 2013, the celebrity news website TMZ posted a story in which its president, Harvey Levin, attempts to educate his unsympathetic staff to the plight of animals killed for fur: “It is pure torture — skinning them alive to put a coat on your back when you can have a different kind of coat. It’s barbaric. How can anyone defend torture?”

Rihanna has been photographed wearing dozens of fur garments.

At a Barnes & Noble bookstore in New York City on Tuesday, animal rights activists confronted Kim Kardashian face-to-face to disrupt her book signing and protest her consumption of fur.

Kim Kardashian has been photographed in dozens of fur garments.

After a six hour wait in line, activist Crank Dennehy got straight to the point: “Can you make [the autograph] out to all of the animals that have been tortured and killed for you to wear a fur coat?”

In a news brief about the Kim Kardashian disruption, celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton wrote, “While we agree that wearing fur isn’t the most considerate act, it must suck to have so many people screaming in your face at once.”  In response, one reader explained why this approach is effective: “By creating a scene with someone who has millions of followers, they gain [create] further awareness about how bad the situation really is. Most of the animals are either electrocuted or skinned alive.”

Animals raised for fur go insane in their cages before being anally electrocuted or skinned alive

Kardashian smiles at Rob Banks, an anti-fur activist on the verge of disrupting her book signing

The disruption took place just one day after another fur-promoting celebrity, Rihanna, attended the annual costume gala at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing a fur-trim dress the size of small swimming pool.

Rihanna in fur

The gala, which benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, is organized by yet another fur promoter, Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Because of her consistent promotion of fur in the media and on the pages of Vogue, Wintour has been the target of animal rights activists for decades.

Vogue editor Anna Wintour is the fur industry’s most important ally and spokesperson.

It’s Fashion Week in a frigid NYC, and the streets are covered in blood. And, while nothing short of an army of full time activists could stem the flow, the community is fighting back.

Earlier this week, TheirTurn reported on fur shaming as a tactic to stop people from wearing fur garments. Today, we look at other approaches to transform the Big Apple from red to green.

BILLBOARDS: PETA has erected a 90′ billboard in Times Square on which the musician Pink poses naked and says, “Be comfortable in your own skin, and let others keep theirs.”  Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people will see – and perhaps think about and discuss – this provocative billboard.

PETA’s Anti-fur billboard in Times Square (photo: Slobadan Randjelovic)

In December, Friends of Animals erected a “Flip Off” Fur billboard in Times Square and risked arrest with a bold protest inside of the Macy’s “Fur Vault.”

Friends of Animals (FOA) anti-fur billboard in Times Square

PROTESTS: Jane Velez-Mitchell of JaneUnchained has reported on several recent fur protests in New York. In this story, Jane covers a Caring Activists Against Fur (CAAF) protest at the Fur Source, a store on which the activist community has declared war.

During fashion week, Viktor Luna, a designer who uses fur, staged a runway show on the backs of NYC’s beleaguered carriage horses. NYCLASS, an activist group working to ban horse-drawn carriages, held a protest in an attempt to disrupt the designer’s show and generate attention for the plight of the carriage horses.

Designer Viktor Luna staged a fashion show on the backs of carriage horses. (photo: Daily News)

Caring Activists Against Fur Valentine’s Day Protest (photos: Roberto Bonelli)

ONE-ON-ONE ENGAGEMENT: Some activists shame people wearing fur; some wear anti-fur buttons; and some attempt to start a conversation with people wearing fur.

A TheirTurn reader (left) submitted this photo of herself with a fur wearer who was willing to not only listen but also pose for a post-discussion photo.

The winter of 2015 has brought out so much fur that activists are tearing out our own hair in frustration, but we can’t let that stop us. We must create an environment where people no longer feel comfortable wearing fur because they are either educated about the issue or afraid of the consequences. If you live someplace where people wear fur, please use whatever approach works best for you to be a voice for the animals who have every right to keep their skin.