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Global protests hit P&G over animal testing

This year’s 13th Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day, spearheaded by Uncaged, was certainly unlucky for the animal testing corporation, but offered new hope for the innocent animals who continue to suffer at the hands of P&G.

Once again on the 3rd Saturday of May, thousands of campaigners from all four corners of the planet united to call for an end to P&G’s cruel and gratuitous animal testing. This year’s protest was given added momentum by the focus on the notorious ‘Herbal Essences’, now dubbed ‘Hurtful Essences’ by animal advocates. Simplifying the message to just one well-known brand has both sharpened the impact of the campaign as well as providing a gateway for many more people join the fight against animal testing by P&G and other violent companies and institutions.

Sharon in Plymouth

A comprehensive range of photos and reports can be seen here. But as this selection of reports shows, the campaign always receives an overwhelmingly positive response from the public, and so is one of the most effective projects for animal advocates to participate in.

For example, in Liverpool, Amanda placed leaflets in her NHS staff room and remarked on what a warm response she received, with numerous colleagues vowing to shun P&G products.

Staying in North West England, Michelle from Preston Animal Rights sent us this inspiring news about their action:

“We had a great day in Preston. Our stall at Preston covered market drew loads of attention. My mouse suit was brilliant and we will definitely be using more costumes in the future, people just seem more responsive to someone making a fool of themselves.

Throwing some shapes in Preston!

“Anyway, we got loads of pledges and gave out information and leaflets at the stall and also around the City centre where people were very interested. It was great to hear people say they will buy alternatives to the big brands they always buy.

“The mouse also made a stop at Sainsburys in Deepdale. Asking people to boycott P&G products on their way in, accompanied with leaflets, was very positive. I don't think we had one bad response or comment all day as cosmetic and household product testing is an issue most people have an opinion on, and it's mostly against. There will be a lot less P&G products being sold in Preston from now on!!!“

Thanks also to all our friends across the UK who joined in, including in Preston, Liverpool, Plymouth, Winchester, Brighton, Exeter, Cambridge, Canterbury, London, Manchester, Chester, Southend, Glasgow, Bridgend, Swindon, Melton Mowbray, Grantham, Leicester, Ulverston, Harlow, Barnet, Southampton, Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Truro, Berwick, Newcastle, Saltburn, Northampton, Newton Abbott, Leeds, Bude, Warrington, Hastings, Kings Lynn, Bradford, Totnes, Oxford, Rushden, Uxbridge, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Stoke, Belfast, Brockenhurst, Sheffield and Orpington.

Starting our international reports just across the Irish Sea, we had two great protests in Dublin. The IAVS (pictured left) reported:

“The event went really well and people were horrified by the poster with all the products - a big hit!”

And Laura from NARA said:

“Our information table and display was a huge success! We handed out thousands of leaflets, and got many pages of the P&G Pledge and Hurtful Essences sheets signed. Lots of people came over to look at the posters and ask questions, and we are really delighted with how much interest this event received.”

Across to the west coat of Ireland, and Maureen O’Malley did some great work to raise awareness:

“I distributed the postcards, leaflets and posters to several vets waiting rooms and libraries in my area. I also put one of the posters on my car window. The reaction in the vets waiting rooms was very interesting, so many people were unaware that herbal essence is tested on animals! And I have noticed several people stopping to read the poster on my car, plus a lady approached me recently to talk about it, so hopefully the little I have done has raised awareness and will help the animals.”

Meanwhile, over in Genk, Belgium, Biteback reported:

“We had P&G posters and leaflets, spoke with many shoppers and reached hundreds of people. When people find out about the P&G horrors they are more than willing to buy cruelty free products instead.”

For the third consecutive year, Spain’s Equanimal have organised protests against Procter & Gamble across the Spanish-speaking world. On 28 May they demonstrated outside the General Offices of P&G Spain, in Alcobendas (Madrid). Earlier in the month, campaigners in several places carried out protests, including at Santiago de Compostela, Alicante, Fuengirola and Mendoza in Mexico, see Equanimal’s Flickr photo collection here. Equanimal are now running a permanent Boycott P&G campaign in collaboration with Uncaged.

Campaigners in Ottawa, Canada, made this fantastic video of their excellent action for GBPGD:

This is great inspiration for people who want to make a difference on behalf of the animals abused by P&G.

Heading south across the 49th parallel to the USA, and In Defense of Animals gave the campaign a huge boost with an email alert to thousands of members, asking them to protest to P&G. Thanks IDA! And in Russia, VITAб Animal Rights Center held a brilliant demo against P&G’s animal testing of cosmetics and cleaning products.

Puebla, Mexico

Mexico was a hotbed of activity. Our friends at AMEDEA distributed Spanish versions of our Boycott P&G leaflets at the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. Estefania Aparicio from Puebla, Mexico, who is a supporter of the fantastic ‘Equanimal’ organisation, sent in photos of the boycott that she’s been doing in her school and supermarkets (see above). Many shoppers told Estefania that they would stop buying P&G products, and it was also raised as a discussion topic in her English classes at school. Well done Estefania! Mario Hurtado from Conciencia Activa in Mexico sent us great photos like the one below of their second brilliant protest against P&G’s animal torture in the centre of the city of Monterrey.

Conciencia Activa

David reports from Santiago in Chile that their action “received much support. Hundreds of people expressed they wanted to join the boycott and spread the information to more people”. We’d like to thank everyone across the world who participated in the 13th GBPGD for their solidarity with us and with defenceless animals, including in Croatia, Serbia, Toronto (Canada) and across the USA.

You can view more reports from around the world here. The thousands of animals suffering at P&G’s hands desperately need you to stand up for them. Please click here to find out how you can get involved and for a preview of next year’s day of action, which we’ve brought forward to Saturday 8th May 2010.

Related links:

• Report and photos from 2008
• Global Boycott P&G Day
• P&G Action
• Boycott P&G Index

Uncaged Campaigns 26.08.09