Less than two months ago a small petition was started by Danish animal protection group Anima, to support the Israeli bill to ban fur. The petition had an overwhelming response due to people’s eagerness to spread the link on social media, and at this moment the petition has gained more than 8,000 signatures. In a few days Anima will send a letter to President Shimon Peres urging him to support the bill. The signatures will be sent to Jane Halevy, President of The Anti-Fur Coalition, who will hand them over to MK Ronit Tirosh who introduced the bill.

“This petition has been the most popular one we’ve launched for several years, and I’m sure the number of signatures could be much higher if we had more time. The Danish support for the Israeli anti-fur bill is huge”, says Thorbjørn Schiønning head of communication at Anima and goes on, “when Israel introduces this ban as the first country in the world, it will be a big inspiration for Denmark and other fur-producing countries. Israel will immediately become one of the leading nations regarding animal protection.”

Earlier the fur lobby has tried to convince MK’s that introducing a fur ban will make Israel unpopular in the fur-producing countries. This is simply not true, which this petition also shows.

In fact the fur issue is a hot topic in Denmark and the majority of citizens and fashion companies have already turned their backs on fur. Recent national surveys have shown that a majority of Danes want a full ban on mink farming. Fox farming was already banned in Denmark in 2009.