Caring Activists Against Fur (CAAF)
GUIDELINES FOR OUR DEMONSTRATIONS
I am so happy with the amazing work we are doing this year for animals, and the incredible results we have seen recently. Since we are in the middle of the season, I thought it would be a good time to review a few code of conduct rules for a Caring Activists Against Fur protest.
Approach: Our organization is very professional and moderate. We believe in loud chanting, with fliering, poster-holder, and, when possible, the use of large, graphic videos. Our audience is the people on the street of all ages who have not thought about the issue of fur or who have no strong opinions about it. There are thousands of people who hear our message and learn the truth about the fur industry. Additionally, we try to shame those who wear full-length fur coats, by calling their attention to the animals’ murdered, with chants such as “Fifty Dead Animals, One Fur Coat”. Many times, this is enough to make them run away from the uncomfortable situation. Chants such as “Compassion is the Fashion” lets people know that buying fur shows you are lacking compassion and caring.
Conduct: Because protesting could make people defensive and angry, especially those wearing fur, we should take steps to avoid confrontation. We are a non-violent, peaceful movement. We don’t engage in violence. We don’t aggressively push literature on people. If they take it, fine. If they don’t, they still hear our message and see our signs. We don’t follow people down the street with our signs. We don’t yell obscenities at people. We do maintain control of ourselves at all times and we remember that educating the public and helping the animals is our goal. Our message of truth and the horrors that animals endure is our power, and people hear us.
If someone is threatening physical violence, let the police officers handle it. In addition, let the organizer know because the organizers of CAAF are professional and level-headed, and can help you as well.
Not following these rules of conduct may create or exacerbate a potentially violent situation and could cause danger to the public or our fellow activists, some of whom are children. At a minimum, it may disrupt the protest, taking away time we spend advocating for the animals.
Unity: Lastly, I have been in the movement for about 25 years. I am doing exactly what I want to be doing, and planning events that have a tone that I want. While I get “constructive comments” from some people who wish we were less aggressive and those who wish we were more so, CAAF is in the middle, and effective at that. That’s what we do. I hope you join me and my organization at events we plan that we find effective and educational.
If you have any comments about an event, or a group, or any individual, please be mindful that not every comment is appropriate for a wide audience. If you feel the need to share your thoughts, you should reach out to people individually. Please do not air “dirty laundry” in public. Nasty comments or complaints on facebook and meetup about events that people spend a lot of time planning have NO PLACE in the struggle for animal rights.
If you have thoughts about how to plan or run an event, perhaps you would be interested in planning one yourself, and we would welcome the opportunity to discuss that with you. If you are not willing to be an organizer yourself, we’re happy for you to attend, but please respect that the person(s) organizing the event has given a lot of time and energy into planning it. People are quick to criticize and, though people might mean well, this is usually not constructive. Of course, we love compliments!
The animal rights movement is full of wonderful, caring individuals who take time from their busy lives to advocate for the voiceless. I am proud to be a part of this movement and I enjoy meeting you all at events. I look forward to seeing you at the next one!
Again, I am thrilled with our effective demonstrating, which educates the public about the animals’ plight. Please respect the rules of CAAF demonstrations, in order for us to keep our activists safe and do right by the animals we love so much. For the Animals, Julie (Caring Activists Against Fur)
ALERT: In case of inclement weather, check the website the morning of the event.
Approach: Our organization is very professional and moderate. We believe in loud chanting, with fliering, poster-holder, and, when possible, the use of large, graphic videos. Our audience is the people on the street of all ages who have not thought about the issue of fur or who have no strong opinions about it. There are thousands of people who hear our message and learn the truth about the fur industry. Additionally, we try to shame those who wear full-length fur coats, by calling their attention to the animals’ murdered, with chants such as “Fifty Dead Animals, One Fur Coat”. Many times, this is enough to make them run away from the uncomfortable situation. Chants such as “Compassion is the Fashion” lets people know that buying fur shows you are lacking compassion and caring.
Conduct: Because protesting could make people defensive and angry, especially those wearing fur, we should take steps to avoid confrontation. We are a non-violent, peaceful movement. We don’t engage in violence. We don’t aggressively push literature on people. If they take it, fine. If they don’t, they still hear our message and see our signs. We don’t follow people down the street with our signs. We don’t yell obscenities at people. We do maintain control of ourselves at all times and we remember that educating the public and helping the animals is our goal. Our message of truth and the horrors that animals endure is our power, and people hear us.
If someone is threatening physical violence, let the police officers handle it. In addition, let the organizer know because the organizers of CAAF are professional and level-headed, and can help you as well.
Not following these rules of conduct may create or exacerbate a potentially violent situation and could cause danger to the public or our fellow activists, some of whom are children. At a minimum, it may disrupt the protest, taking away time we spend advocating for the animals.
Unity: Lastly, I have been in the movement for about 25 years. I am doing exactly what I want to be doing, and planning events that have a tone that I want. While I get “constructive comments” from some people who wish we were less aggressive and those who wish we were more so, CAAF is in the middle, and effective at that. That’s what we do. I hope you join me and my organization at events we plan that we find effective and educational.
If you have any comments about an event, or a group, or any individual, please be mindful that not every comment is appropriate for a wide audience. If you feel the need to share your thoughts, you should reach out to people individually. Please do not air “dirty laundry” in public. Nasty comments or complaints on facebook and meetup about events that people spend a lot of time planning have NO PLACE in the struggle for animal rights.
If you have thoughts about how to plan or run an event, perhaps you would be interested in planning one yourself, and we would welcome the opportunity to discuss that with you. If you are not willing to be an organizer yourself, we’re happy for you to attend, but please respect that the person(s) organizing the event has given a lot of time and energy into planning it. People are quick to criticize and, though people might mean well, this is usually not constructive. Of course, we love compliments!
The animal rights movement is full of wonderful, caring individuals who take time from their busy lives to advocate for the voiceless. I am proud to be a part of this movement and I enjoy meeting you all at events. I look forward to seeing you at the next one!
Again, I am thrilled with our effective demonstrating, which educates the public about the animals’ plight. Please respect the rules of CAAF demonstrations, in order for us to keep our activists safe and do right by the animals we love so much. For the Animals, Julie (Caring Activists Against Fur)
ALERT: In case of inclement weather, check the website the morning of the event.
