If you're driving on the E. C. Row Expressway this Boxing Day, you might notice something out of the ordinary.
A demonstration is planned to protest the use of fur. A 27-foot banner will be hung from the Central Avenue overpass at 12:30 p.m. that reads "End Fur Farming."
According to one of the organizers, Malcolm Klimowicz, the demonstration will be done by a group of several different animal rights activists from the Windsor area. Klimowicz said the goal is to raise public awareness about the cause.
"We're calling on the Ontario Government to place a full ban on the practice of fur farming," he explained. "We believe it's cruel. It's not good for animals, they live in little wire cages their whole life, they get electrocuted, they're gassed then skinned for their fur."
Several of the protestors will be dressed in Santa and elf suits. Klimowicz said that with clothing and shopping on many people's minds, Boxing Day was a perfect time to hang the banner.
"It's right after Christmas, people are going to be shopping. We're targeting Christmas shoppers, people that are trying to get deals, people that might be thinking about buying fur because they might see other people wearing it," he said. "We're just letting people know that fur is cruel."
According to Klimowicz, the banner they will be using has been passed around Ontario and used in similar demonstrations in different cities. He said the action meets its fair share of opposition.
"Definitely every time we do a protest against fur they have a spokesperson from the Fur Council of Canada come out to defend the fur trade," he said.
Klimowicz believes the fur trade is becoming increasingly less popular and notes that several big-name designers have gone fur-free in recent times. For the demonstration on Thursday, he encourages anyone who may be interested in joining to come out.
