Harvey Nichols request injunction against anti-fur protestors
Renamed “Heartless Harvey Nichols” by outraged anti-fur protesters, the luxury department store is seeking an injunction from the High Court of England and Wales, to prevent protesters from picketing its stores across the UK after a year-long public battle.
The Harvey Nichols store group are said to have made a formal application to prevent the protesters from handing out leaflets, using megaphones and being within 50 metres of any Harvey Nichols store. This could also develop into a ban of anyone who opposes the sale of fur from entering their stores.
A spokesperson from the Heartless Harvey Nichols campaign commented: “The order being sought by Harvey Nichols is a direct attack on those who oppose the sale of fur, which includes 95 percent of the public. Harvey Nichols is currently facing increased pressure from the public to halt its sale of fur. Animals are gassed and electrocuted to produce the pelts on sale”. Campaigners have also argued that all protests have been peaceful without breaching any laws and that the prospect of an injunction being “an attack on democratic freedoms”.
Harvey Nichols responded in an email statement to the angered protesters: “We only source products from reputable brands, which includes seeking the assurance that the fur they use in products has been sourced humanely and ethically.”
Up until September 2013, the store group maintained an anti–fur policy, something they used to state as “long-standing and much respected”. This value was expelled after a decade in the name of trends and potential profit. Head of fashion, Paula Reed was forced to resign due to the decision.
Emily Harris
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