Activists dressed as animals gathered in front of the EU Parliament building Tuesday at 12:00 dancing to "Don't Kill the Animals" by Lene Lovich and Nina Hagen.
Holding signs and banners on Place du Luxembourg, they called for the signing of a European Citizen’s Initiative to urge the EU to phase out animal testing, starting with cosmetics.
The initiative, called "For Cruelty Free Cosmetics – Committing to an Experimentation-Free Europe," was launched by a number of animal rights groups, including PETA. It has now received more than 640,000 signatures but must reach one million by 31 August for the European Commission to consider the request, Belga News Agency reported.
The demonstration was led by PETA and Belgian organisations GAIA and Animal Rights. The groups claim that more than 9 million mice, rats, fish, dogs and other animals were used in scientific procedures in the EU in 2017.
"If we consider experimentation on humans to be unacceptable, how can we allow experimentation on other beings who know as much pain and suffering as we do?" Jen Hochmuth, the campaign coordinator for Animal Rights, said.
MEPs Caroline Roose (France - Greens/European Free Alliance), Anja Hazekamp (Netherlands - Party for the Animals), Manuela Ripa (Germany - Green Democrat Party), Michal Wiezik (Slovakia - Progressive) and Martin Buschmann (Germany - Independent) have joined the campaign.
