Sunday, December 9, 2007

Dissent is Not Terrorism Demo, Spark and Escada Fur Protest

Demo #1: Dissent is not Terrorism

Activists from WAR joined the Friends and Family of Daniel McGowan to educate the public about the dangers of Senate Bill 1955 The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act. The demonstration was held at busy Herald Square, right across the street from Macy’s, where many holiday shoppers heard about this bill for the very first time. All were encouraged to speak out against this bill, to lobby Senators Schumacher and Clinton to vote against it, in an attempt to preserve what few civil liberties we have left.

Demo #2: Peter Laventhol – Owner Spark Management LP

Next up was the apartment residence of Peter Laventhol, Owner Spark Management LP. Recently it was announced that several institutional investors have sold their shares and seperated themselves from the horrible cruelty that goes on at Huntingdon Life Sciences. Peter Laventhol, who has control over all of the investments of Spark Management, sold approximately two thirds of his stake in LSR, for which activists are very appreciative. However, with his remaining investment of 18,900 shares of LSR stock (Huntingdon Life Sciences), Spark is the largest remaining institutional investor. Since the other investors which included Wachovia, Axa, Deutschebank, SAC Capitol, AIP, Transamerica and Frontier have all sold out, WAR can now focus all of their attention on Spark.

The protest took place as MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), one of New York City’s premier museums was very busy with visitors entering and leaving. Laventhol’s apartment is a half block away from one of MOMA’s busiest entrances. Posters were displayed showing the bloody mutilated remains of beagle puppies and primates killed at Huntingdon Life Sciences to test products like Spenda and Viagra. Museum goers and Laventhol’s neighbors recoiled from the gruesome pictures but promised to call Peter Laventhol to ask him to divest his murderous shares in LSR.

WAR activists have pledged that if Spark remains the largest institutional investor they will be at Laventhol’s home and the Spark offices on 58th Street with a regular and possibly daily presence until the remaining 18,900 shares are sold.

Demo #3: ESCADA – Fifth Avenue

The final stop of the afternoon was the ESCADA store on Fifth Avenue. Activists are amazed that these folks can afford the hefty Fifth Avenue rent as there is hardly ever anyone shopping in the ESCADA store. As in the past, as soon as activists lined up along the sidewalk in front of the expansive plate glass windows, security personnel and bored sales agents gathered at the windows to watch. Clearly they are not happy about the regular visits of anti-fur activists, particularly now when Fifth Avenue is literally teeming with an international entourage of fashionistas shopping for holiday gifts.

Loud chanting of the activists could be heard from blocks away and what was particularly notable was the large number of supportive displays activists received from passersby. Perhaps their support was motivated by the gory pictures of mutilated skinned fox and mink. Or maybe their support was in appreciation of the passionate rousing chants of the protesters, who stood in the freezing cold. Literature was distributed and everyone was asked to contact ESCADA to say that they would not shop there until ESCADA announced that they would discontinue the sale of fur. Any shopper who dared passed the picket line wearing fur was immediately confronted and berated. Others on the street showed no sympathy for the fur wearers, instead cheering on the activists.