OSLO, 16 NOVEMBER 2015 – This weekend over 7000 Norwegians took the streets to call their government for a ban on fur farming. The anti-fur march took place in various cities across Norway, counting nearly 4000 participants in Oslo where the march was opened by mayor Marianne Borgen. Among the protesters were Norwegian authors Hanne Kristin Rohde, Tor Åge Bringsvært, Simon Stranger and Norwegian-Iranian musician and former Eurovision Songfestival participant Tooji.

The march, organized by Norway’s largest animal rights organization and Fur Free Alliance member NOAH – for animal rights, has been an annual event for twelve years and has become Europe’s largest anti-fur event. Marianne Borgen, mayor of Oslo, commented on the march:

“Oslo shall be a pioneer on animal welfare, respecting the intrinsic value of animals. This does not reconcile with keeping predators in cages.”

Mayor of Oslo Marianne Borgen

Martinsen and NOAH recently visited the EU-parliament together with colleagues from Finland to launch a report about the Nordic fur industry. The report “Nordic fur trade – marketed as responsible business” highlights that the claim of high ethical standards made by the Nordic fur trade are in stark contrast to the reality in fur farms and criticised by animal welfare experts. Martinsen:

“It is a paradox that Europe’s largest anti-fur event is held in Norway, where the politicians have been delaying a thorough debate about ending this industry for a much longer time than in many other European countries. Great Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany and Italy are among the countries that have banned parts of or their entire fur industry.”

Norwegian-Iranian singer Tooji

Author Hanne Kristin Rohde

Author Simon Stranger