Action against fur store in Gothenburg in Sweden

09/07/1999
Source: An article in a Swedish newspaper and a private email

NOTE: The person Fredrik Olsson does not exist. The reporter confused the two persons that he or she interviewed.

GÖTEBORG. A fur free Vasastan! (Vasastan is a part of Gothenburg and there is only one single fur store in that part of the town.) This is the slogan for a group of animal rights activists in Göteborg. But this campaign against one selected fur store might end up in a small war.

At lunchtime last Saturday, 10 - 20 AR-activists, aged between 20 and 40, were handing out leaflets and holding posters, while the police were waiting on the other side of the street. “We are going to demonstrate outside this fur store every week until they change their selection and stop selling fur,” says Fredrik Olsson, 23. - We choose this store because a lot of people are walking by here, lots of people will see us.

Owner upset

The owner, who wants to stay anonymous, is upset because of the demonstrations against his store has been going on for a couple of years now. “It's obvious that it is allowed for people even if it of course means a loss of income to us.” The owner was asking himself: What are the police doing?

The police say that they will interfere only if any of the demonstrators will stand in front of the entrance or if something special happens. Fredrik Olsson and the other activists deny that there has been a campaign against this store before. “we have been outside different stores every time.” “ But when we did a couple of civil disobedience actions last year, the owner came out and was very violent against us - both with an ironstick, insecticides and water. - But this is not about this fur store owner - our goal is to end the suffering of all the animals in the fur industry.”