Paul McCartney on Animal Abuse in China

[StoneMtn]

Mon 28 Nov 2005

McCartney: I'll never play in China

Sir Paul McCartney has said he will never perform in China after watching a secret video of dogs and cats being killed for fur.

The ex-Beatle was given a preview screening of undercover footage taken in a fur market in Guangzhou, southern China.

Dogs and cats are shown being thrown from the top deck of a converted bus onto concrete pavements.

In another piece of footage, cats are seen squirming inside a sack before being thrown into a vat of boiling water.

Smiling, laughing workers are also filmed senselessly beating the animals to death.

The report, which was filmed by an investigator linked to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) campaign group, will be shown on Monday night on the BBC's Six O'clock News.

Sir Paul and wife Heather were close to tears as they watched the undercover report.

Sir Paul told the BBC: "This is barbaric. Horrific. It's like something out of the dark ages. And they seem to get a kick out of it. They're just sick, sick people.

"I wouldn't even dream of going over there to play, in the same way that I wouldn't go to a country that supported apartheid.

"This is just disgusting. It's just against every rule of humanity. I couldn't go there. If they want to consider themselves a civilised nation they're going to have to stop this."

© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2005, All Rights Reserved.

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2314672005

Last updated: 28-Nov-05 08:19 GMT

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

If they want to consider themselves a civilised nation they're going to have to stop this.

Geez, by that standard his list of places to play in the world has got to be a pretty short one.

Mind you, as a non-carnivore who's seen what sorts of things comprise the east Asian diet, I can see his point....

[Velvet]

Wonder if he'll still play in Ghana where they eat beetles?

[Davey Boy 2.0]

or in the US where they support wars founded on lies and use chemical weapons on civilians and torture prisoners in secret jails without having to press charges or give them access to legal council

[TheGoodRev]

Does anybody else see something wrong with this? There are a lot of people in China, and I'm pretty sure they're not all out on their verandas strangling kitties. Not quite 'racist', but sort-of an unfair generalization of, and punishment to, a culture based on one video of a half-dozen people.

[onthejourney]

not fair, especially as I am sure not everyone there is for the killing of these animals...but on another note, do go to the PETA website and check out the vid...it is quite horrible.

[CookieMonster]

Sir Paul and wife Heather were close to tears as they watched the undercover report.

So am I. That's so unimaginably horrible! I felt sick to my stomach just reading it.

[StoneMtn]

Does anybody else see something wrong with this? There are a lot of people in China, and I'm pretty sure they're not all out on their verandas strangling kitties. Not quite 'racist', but sort-of an unfair generalization of, and punishment to, a culture based on one video of a half-dozen people.

I can't speak for everyone, but I have no problem with Paul's position.

Were you opposed to the boycott of Sun City in South Africa in the late-80s, on the basis that not all South Africans supported Apartheid? I think that the main point is that the South African government did support that system, and it is that group that needed to be pressured.

Personally, I saw South Africans as being in the best possible position to influence their own government. In order to encourage them to do so, I thought the boycott was appropriate; despite the fact that some anti-Apartheid South Africans would also be prevented from seeing some of their favourite performers.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

or in the US where they support wars founded on lies and use chemical weapons on civilians and torture prisoners in secret jails without having to press charges or give them access to legal council

And hey, how about our own government too?

Ipperwash inquiry told of profane Harris directive to end standoff .

When we were travelling in Egypt fifteen years back, as soon as we ever mentioned we were from Canada, the first thing people said was, "Oh, how are those Natives at Oka doing?"

[Davey Boy 2.0]

good point DEM

[Lazlo]

Animals are only here to be eaten. If they weren't they'd have opposable thumbs.

A to Z

Aardvark to Zebra

[StoneMtn]

The animals in question were not being eaten. They were slaughtered for fur.

[Lazlo]

You mean they waisted the meat? Those bastards.