Sunday, November 12, 2006

Fighting Back, Even In China

IN an echo of the days when Chairman Mao denounced his foes as “running dogs”, hundreds of angry pet owners confronted the police in Beijing yesterday in a protest against the regime’s new “one-dog policy”. Eighteen people were arrested in noisy scuffles as about 500 dog owners gathered in a rare unauthorised demonstration near Beijing Zoo. Several of the middle-class protesters wore badges that read “stop the killing” and waved furry stuffed toys in the hope of softening the hearts of the riot police and plain-clothes security men who surrounded them.

Yesterday’s protest was sparked by police raids on an area of luxury villas. According to the state news agency, Xinhua, the security forces discovered six “large unlicensed dogs” in the dragnet. It did not disclose their fate. Elsewhere, residents have reported seeing policemen beating dogs to death in the street. Only dogs shorter than 14 inches are allowed. “Mastiffs, dobermans, saint bernards and great danes are banned,” Xinhua said, along with any dog considered “dangerous”.

People love their dogs. Start killing them, and you'll get a backlash. The Dog Haters have caused the banning and killing of many innocent dogs in this country, such as in Denver, CO. I'm not advocating civil disobedience. I'm not for breaking the law. I'm for changing the hearts and minds of the people, making them aware of the tragedy around them, and changing these inhumane laws and practices. Breed specific laws are cruel and unnecessary.

1 comment:

Steve Johnson said...

What this proves is that freedom is indeed something that is endowed to each and every one of us, whether Christian, Buddhist, atheist, whatever. Even in a totalitarian regime like China, people are demonstrating their need to be free.