New Zealand retailers terrorised by animal rights group
Retailers in the New Zealand city of Auckland are reportedly being terrorised by a local group of animal rights activists, who have allegedly issued death threats, cut phone lines and chained themselves to shop fronts.
The group involved is said to be protesting against the use of rabbit fur in footwear and has taken to waving banners featuring bloody animals outside a number of footwear and leather goods shops. More seriously, shop proprietors and staffs are alleged to have been directly threatened by members of the group, forcing the police to be called on a number of occasions. Speaking to the local press, one of the business owners referred to the protestors as ‘professionals’, as he said they appear to know exactly how far they can go without being arrested.
In the same newspaper report, Auckland City councillor Jon Olsen said he intends to investigate the shop owners' complaints. "These people are not just animal right activists, they are anarchists. They are manhandling, threatening and terrorising."
