MINKS IN THE EP

In the main hall there is a photo of a beautiful mink, and next to it a photo of a silver fox. ‘May furs pass to history’ – this is a leading message of the whole event. The main purpose was introducing a prohibition of keeping animals for fur coats in the whole EU. Our country takes the second place in Europe in this branch, and the third place in the world, so, no wonder that the Brussels action was resounding in Poland. To make it more exciting, in its avant-garde some MEPs of the Law and Justice party appeared, together with leftist MEPs of the Nordic Green Leftist party. ‘Stop suffering of animals. Open cages’ – MEPs were shouting on the parliamentary backstage, being aware that they were being recorded by TV cameras. – This is reporting badly on Poland abroad – opponents were shouting, arguing that it was directed against Polish national interests. In Brussels I met colleagues whose surnames were on posters of the exhibition. Their face expressions were mediocre. They did not suppose that inspirers had not been better than co-organizers. Finally, some MEPs wanted to disappear in the crowd during the exhibition opening ceremony. Others were exposing themselves heroically.

Do you know who is a real organizer here? – they asked. – An assistant from our group ….well, this relative of a politician – whose surname they whispered.

If it is so, it is necessary to give strong arguments that fur animals – minks, foxes, chinchillas and others are killed, even murdered and are suffering terribly. Breeders were arguing that the whole action had a subtext of eliminating Polish farmers from the branch in which they are doing quite well. I will admit that I saw with the eyes of my imagination, my two cats and two dogs which have a beautiful fur and I got shivers. My acquaintance also got emotionally moved, and even decided not to eat meat. And a few days ago he had eaten steak. There was a discussion about why only fur coats. And what about sheepskin coats and leather without any hair? After all, this is the same. Certainly. So, I looked at pro-animals activists in a slightly different way, that is, not at the face. Lower, much lower, at shoes. They were made from gum or tarpaulin. I had seen my colleague wearing boots and they seemed to show beautiful leather. Maybe it was illusion but those belts, purses and bags are not from artificial material. What the hell is that?! Next day in the EP, near the exhibition, I met a famous journalist. I decided to joke: - Good morning, don’t you know where there is a shop with fur coats in Brussels? Because I want to buy my wife one and she would be glad. – Why to buy if I will willingly sell you mine – she answered with a smile. – I have a beautiful fur coat from the backs of silver foxes….And I nearly believed in those child’s tears dropping on the fate of animals, when I recalled a poem by G.I. Gałczyński entitled: ‘An autumn barber’: ‘When I mention (how sensitive I am becoming!) the luminous spree of childhood….Ha, life may be beautiful, but there are too much nastiness’. Or maybe a bit of cynicism, and the political one.

Translated by Aneta Amrozik

„Niedziela” 5/2018 (4 II 2018)

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl