Stranka za životinje s tisućama ljudi širom svijeta na ulicama za prava životinja
Last weekend, thousands of people across the globe took to the streets to join the so-called Animal Rights March. Their purpose? To put an end to all forms of animal exploitation. The March took place in several countries such as Luxembourg, New Zealand, the Philippines, Canada, Australia, Greece, the United States, Norway and the Netherlands. The representatives of several parties for the animals joined the march in their own countries to send a strong political signal.
Party for the Animals MP Esther Ouwehand at the Animal Rights March in Amsterdam
Party for the Animals MP Esther Ouwehand addressed the crowd during the Dutch Animal Rights March, outlining a future without animal exploitation as the logical and inevitable step towards social justice. However, the road to justice is not an easy one:
“Each generation has its own social justice movement, challenging us to show the world what we are worth as human beings. The social movement for animal rights is our movement.
And like with any justice movement, there is one group that leads the way. A group that has gained awareness, that is not afraid to feel that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way society treats a certain group – human or animal. Through history, the fate of pioneers has always been the same: being the exception in their environment, they face a lot of misunderstanding, resistance and even aggression.”
However, Ouwehand is also positive:
“It may be hard sometimes, but first and foremost, being a pioneer is incredibly cool. No matter what the world thinks, or how much resistance you are faced with – you listen to your heart and stand for what you know deep inside: that there is no excuse for the unnecessary use, suffering and killing of animals. Remaining true to your deepest values gives enormous strength. And guess what: there are more and more people like you. With the Animal Rights March, we are showing the world that the movement for animal rights is strong and unstoppable – and growing by the day.”
Growing political movement for animal rights
The Dutch Party for the Animals is part of a growing movement committed to the interests of animals through politics and in society. Worldwide, there are now 19 parties fighting to change the food system and make animal rights an essential part of the democratic process. They do this from a planet-wide vision considering the interests of people, animals, nature and the environment in conjunction with one another.
Representatives of parties for the animals during Animal Rights March (Swedish Djurens parti, German Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz, Canadian Animal Protection Party and Dutch Party for the Animals)
Large-scale suffering and destruction
Worldwide, over 70 billion animals are kept for the production of meat. That number becomes significantly higher when we count fish and the animals used for clothing or experiments. All those animals live in terrible conditions and, being seen as mere products, are unable to exhibit natural behaviour. There are even products that receive better protection than animal. Toilet paper in the Netherlands is better protected against fires than chickens, cows and pigs.
The way we treat animals also seriously jeopardises the future of our planet. A recent study carried out by the universities of Zurich and Oxford revealed that agriculture is a sector that contributes heavily to all major environmental problems. Woodland the size of several football fields is cleared every minute, air, soil and water are seriously polluted, and our water supply is endangered – all for the production of animal products. “A vegan diet is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental footprint – even more so than cutting down on your number of flights or driving an electric car,” say the scientists.
Prošlog vikenda, tisuće ljudi širom svijeta sudjelovali su u tzv. Animal Rights March. Njihov cilj? Prekinuti sve oblike eksploatacije životinja. Marš je održan u različitim gradovima zemalja poput Luksemburga, Novog Zelanda, Filipina, Kanade, Australije, Grčke, Sjedinjenih Država, Norveške i Nizozemske. Predstavnici različitih stranaka za životinje također su sudjelovali u maršu u svojoj zemlji kako bi iskazali jak politički signal.
Parlamentarna zastupnica Stranke za životinje Esther Ouwehand tijekom Animal Rights March u Amsterdamu
Tijekom marša za životinje parlamentarna zastupnica Esther Ouwehand iz Nizozemske Stranke za životinje obratila se gužvi. Istaknula je budućnost bez iskorištavanja životinja kao logičan i neizbježan korak ka društvenoj pravdi. Put ka pravdi, međutim, nije lak:
“Svaka generacija ima pokret za društvenu pravdu. Izazov koji od nas traži da pokažemo što vrijedimo, kao ljudsko biće. Ovo je naš: društveni pokret za prava životinje. I kao s bilo kojim pravosudnim pokretom, postoji skupina koja vodi put. Tko je postao svjestan, tko se usuđuje duboko osjetiti da je nešto u osnovi pogrešno s načinom na koji društvo upravlja nekom skupinom – ljudima ili životinjama. Sudbina prethodnika uvijek je bila ista tijekom povijesti. Vi ste iznimka u vašem okruženju. Vi se susrećete s puno nesporazuma, otpora pa čak i agresije. ”
Ali Ouwehand je također pozitivna:
“Iako je ponekad teško, posebno je kul biti preteča. Što god ostatak svijeta misli i koliko god otpora susretnete, ti slušaš svoje srce i stojiš za ono što duboko u sebi znaš: nema opravdanja za korištenje bespomoćnih životinja, da pate i da se ubijaju bez potrebe. Pridržavati se svojih najdubljih vrijednosti daje puno snage. I pogodite što? Sve je više ljudi poput tebe. Uz Animal Rights March pokazujemo da je pokret za prava životinja snažan i nezaustavljiv – i raste svaki dan. ”
Rastući politički pokret za prava životinja
Nizozemska Stranka za životinje dio je rastućeg pokreta koji se zalaže za prava životinja u politici i društvu. U međuvremenu je u svijetu 19 stranaka za životinje koje se bore za drugačiji sustav hrane i za uvrštavanje prava životinja u demokratski proces. Oni to rade sa širokom vizijom koja obuhvaća čitav planet, s pogledom na svojstvo interesa ljudi, životinja, prirode i okoliša.
Predstavnici stranaka za životinje tijekom Animal Rights March
Velike patnje i uništenje
U svijetu se drži više od 70 milijardi životinja za meso. Taj će broj biti još veći ako uključimo ribu i životinje koje se koriste za odjeću i pokuse. Sve ove životinje često žive u strašnim okolnostima, gdje se gledaju samo kao proizvodi i ne mogu pokazati svoje prirodno ponašanje. Ponekad su proizvodi čak i zaštićeniji od životinja. Na primjer, toaletni papir u Nizozemskoj je bolje zaštićen od požara nego kokoši, krave i svinje.
Način na koji se bavimo životinjama također ozbiljno ugrožava budućnost našeg planeta. Kao što nedavni studij sveučilišta Zuricha i Oxforda pokazuje: Poljoprivreda je sektor koji doprinosi svim većim ekološkim problemima. Za proizvode životinjskog podrijetla, svake minute se sijeku šumska polja većine nogometnih igrališta, zrak, tlo i voda se ozbiljno onečišćavaju i naš vodovod ugrožava. “Veganska dijeta je najsnažniji način smanjivanja tvog ekološkog otiska, čak i više od prestanka letenja ili električne vožnje”, kažu znanstvenici u studiju.