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PETA launches campaign against bearskin hats worn by King’s Guard in United Kingdom

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U.S.-based animal rights group PETA called on the U.K. Ministry of Defense to «stop supporting this barbaric industry» of bearskin caps worn by the King’s Guard. 

After the group conducted an undercover investigation into the practice of bear-baiting and killing black bears with guns or crossbows in Canada, they concluded that the iconic black, fluffy hats worn by British servicemen are «cruel.»

The group, in a statement and a video released Wednesday narrated by British actor Stephen Fry, alleged that the fur from the bears killed is auctioned off and sometimes ends up in the hats worn by the soldiers of the King’s Guard.

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«Every day that our soldiers wear hats made from the fur of slaughtered bears brings dishonor to our country,» Fry said in the video.

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The King's Guard remove their Bearskin hats

The King’s Guard remove their Bearskin hats as King Charles III is proclaimed King during the accession council at St James’s Palace on September 10, 2022 in London, United Kingdom.  (Joe Giddens – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Bear-baiting, a technique hunters use to lure large animals with greasy food, is outlawed in most U.S. states and the U.K.– but remains legal in Canada.

PETA said that it takes the skin of «at least» one bear to make a single hat.

According to public records obtained by PETA U.K., the Ministry of Defense (MoD) bought 498 bearskin hats between 2017 and 2022.

Changing of the Guard

Tourists and domestic visitors at Buckingham Palace watch in huge numbers as Changing of the Guard takes place of the King’s Guard comprised of Coldstream Guards, the Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Scots Guards on 9th July 2023 in London, United Kingdom.  (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

PETA said that the Canadian Department of National Defence claimed that all the hats worn by its Ceremonial Guard are made from fur that’s over 20 years old.

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The animal rights organization argued that it still doesn’t make killing the animals inhumanely okay «for the sake of an ornament.»

The King's Guard remove their Bearskin hats

The King’s Guard march in their iconic bearskinned hats. (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

The PETA campaign called on the U.K. Ministry of Defense to switch to fake fur in the hope that it will curb the form of hunting.

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The organization claimed that they have developed faux fur that meets the ministry’s standards and offered it to them for use in 2017 and 2023.

«Britain has always prided itself on being ‘sporting’, but these bears—lured with cookies to the hunters’ hiding place—stand no chance of survival,» Fry said in a statement. 

Tradition is never an excuse for cruelty.

— Stephen Fry, actor and comedian

«Tradition is never an excuse for cruelty, which is why I’m joining the call for the Ministry of Defence to stop using the fur of slaughtered wildlife and make the switch to humane faux fur for the King’s Guard’s caps. To do otherwise would be unconscionable—and un-British,» Fry said.

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PETA supporters hold a banner reading 'Bearskin Caps? Thats Old Hat!

PETA supporters hold a banner reading ‘Bearskin Caps? Thats Old Hat! Switch to Faux Fur’ during the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Windsor Castle on 15 November 2022 in Windsor, United Kingdom. (Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)

According to PETA, the MoD claimed that the bearskin pelts were a byproduct of a «cull» overseen by Canadian authorities. 

«Yet federal and provincial Canadian governments have confirmed that no such culls exist. The Canadian government issues «tags» to hunting enthusiasts, who are then free to bait and kill an allotted number of bears for recreation and sell their skins,» PETA said. «The MoD then aligned itself with Furmark, a commercial fur industry accreditation scheme that exists solely to defend the interests of fur farmers and hunters and promote the (rapidly declining) use of fur in fashion.»

Guard Change at Windsor castle

Military personnel arrive for the Guard Change at Windsor Castle ahead of a tribute to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, on September 11, 2021. (Photo by STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

PETA Senior Campaigns Manager Kate Werner said that the MoD attempts to «greenwash and justify the slaughter of majestic bears» in the hat-making process.

«Instead of aligning with the values and morals of the British public, who reject fur, and with the example set by the late Queen Elizabeth when she refused to buy fur for her wardrobe, the MoD is aligning itself with an accreditation scheme that attempts to greenwash and justify the slaughter of majestic bears,» Werner said. «PETA urges the MoD to end its complicity with bear slaughter and fully evaluate the faux bear fur so it can be quick-marched into service.»

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, a PETA spokesperson said that, «tradition is no excuse for cruelty.»

«As PETA’s investigation shows, the bearskin caps worn by the U.K.’s King’s Guard and Canada’s Ceremonial Guard are products of a violent blood sport in which bears are lured with greasy food and sweets before being shot with crossbow arrows, often running away injured only to endure slow, agonizingly painful deaths,» PETA said. «Whether a bear was killed yesterday or 20 years ago, wearing their fur sends the harmful message that killing individuals for the sake of an ornament is acceptable when it’s anything but.»

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Tradition is no excuse for cruelty.

— PETA spokesperson

«Tradition is no excuse for cruelty,» the organization said. «PETA is calling on the U.K.’s and Canada’s defense agencies to retire their bearskin caps and opt for humane headgear from luxury faux furrier ECOPEL, which is ready and waiting to march into service.»



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Serbia rocked by anti-corruption protests after construction tragedy

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Mass protests have rocked Serbia for months as protesters demand justice and accountability after the deaths of 15 people in the collapse of a railway station.

Tens of thousands of college students have been marching for nearly three months demanding those responsible for the calamity be held accountable and prosecuted accordingly. The canopy at the railway station collapsed Nov. 1 after renovations led by two Chinese companies. 

A general strike was called last week, with many calling off work as people blocked major streets in Belgrade and occupied university campuses in solidarity with the young protesters. 

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«I’ve worked in the Balkans for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,» Tanya Domi, professor at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute, told Fox News Digital.

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Students walk toward the northern city of Novi Sad, near the Belgrade suburb of Batajnica, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, where they will participate in a 24-hour blockade of three bridges to protest the deaths of 15 people killed in the November collapse of a train station canopy. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

With protests showing no signs of dissipating, Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announced his resignation, and the mayor of Novi Sad, the city where the tragedy occurred, also stepped down.

«The protests already took down two scalps, and I think more are to come,» Domi said.

The prime minister’s resignation made him the highest regime official to step down, but it hasn’t quelled the uprising. Mass protests continued to break out in Belgrade and across the country.

«The resignation of the prime minister is simply not enough,» Helena Ivanov, senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Institute, told Fox News Digital. 

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Ivanov said the student-led protesters have clearly defined objectives, including full transparency about the process that led to the collapse and holding those responsible accountable for the loss of life.

The government has thus far been unclear and tried to evade scrutiny by downplaying the government’s culpability. At first, the government tried to ignore the protests, then began to use force and accused the protests of being infiltrated by foreign agitators. Some observers complain the Vucic government’s failure to act and provide clear answers to the public is endemic of Serbia’s core institutional corruption.

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«For protesters, the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse cannot be treated as an incident and isolated event, but rather a symptom of more widespread negligence and systemic corruption that precipitated into this tragedy,» Sinisa Vukovic, director of the global policy program at Johns Hopkins University, told Fox News Digital.

The unprecedented resignation of the prime minister leaves the government in flux. The country will either see a new prime minister and government formed within 30 days or face snap elections. However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic addressed the nation and said he will decide in the next 10 days whether Serbia faces a snap election.

Montenegro's President Jakov Milatovic

Montenegro President Jakov Milatovic, left, shakes hands with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic at the Serbia Palace in Belgrade, Serbia, July 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

«This is a legitimate challenge to Vucic’s rule and the biggest challenge the president and his party have faced in the 13 years of their rule,» Ivanov added. 

Serbia’s Foreign Minister, Marko Djuric, told Fox News Digital Serbia’s commitment to stability, reform and continued growth remains unchanged. The foreign minister said, «We are listening, we are learning and we are determined to ensure that Serbia moves forward on its path of economic and democratic development.»

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The protests are the most difficult to deal with from the perspective of the government and the president, Ivanov noted. The students have distanced themselves from the opposition party, which does not have broad support from the public and is generally considered weak and ineffective. 

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Students across the country are saying this is their fight, not the unpopular political opposition, leading to a greater show of force among the population. 

«After 13 years of one individual dominating Serbian politics and 13 years of very important governmental institutions failing to do their job, the key message of these protests is that we expect these institutions to do their job well,» Ivanov said.

Security forces began suppressing the protests, which further exacerbated tensions and motivated more people to join the protests.

Serbia-Government

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned Tuesday amid growing protests that swept the nation over the collapse of a train canopy that killed 15 people.   (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

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Ivana Stradner, research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital the Trump administration should not fall for Serbian President Vucic’s usual tricks of trying to balance between the U.S. and its adversaries. 

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«Vucic has allowed China’s weapons and investments to thrive in Serbia. Serbia’s close ties to Iran and Russia are also undermining America’s interests. His domestic propaganda portrays the U.S. as an enemy. With friends like Vucic, Washington does not need enemies,» Stradner warned.


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