MEDIA RELEASE: VIDEO: Turkish Consulate Rocked by Stray Dog Massacre Shame
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 6, 2024) — Police evicted activists from Los Angeles’ Turkish Consulate General yesterday as they demanded Türkiye repeal its “stray slaughter law” which was passed last month. Horrifying photos and videos of the country-wide massacre have flooded social media showing dogs burned, bludgeoned, crushed, poisoned, and buried alive in mass graves.
WATCH: Protest on UnchainedTV
WATCH: Eviction by police
“This medieval policy will only hurt Turkey’s reputation and its tourism. The modern, more efficient, more cost-effective solution is, obviously, spay/neuter. There’s still time to fix this!” said Jane Velez-Mitchell, Founder of UnchainedTV.
In Defense of Animals, Animal Save Movement, UnchainedTV, Animal Alliance Network, and local animal activists have organized a week of global demonstrations following a huge protest in İstanbul. Hundreds of thousands of people including major Turkish celebrities took to the streets to speak out against the largest mass slaughter of homeless animals in modern history.
Turkish animal killing and protest photos available via We Animals Media
“We are horrified by the burning, poisoning, and crushing of dogs caused by the stray slaughter law. The vast majority of Turkish people reject the violence to animals and it is deeply poignant that Los Angeles has shown strong support as part of our week of worldwide protests. We will not stand by as millions of homeless dogs and cats are brutally killed. President Erdoğan must heed the world’s calls for him to withdraw the stray slaughter law,” said Fleur Dawes, Director of International Partnerships at In Defense of Animals.
Los Angeles protest photos and videos available from In Defense of Animals
Millions of street dogs and cats in Türkiye are facing imminent death due to the implementation of a new law that mandates the capture and killing of stray animals. The law has already led to the deaths of thousands, with reports of animals being poisoned, bludgeoned, and buried alive. This cruel and ineffective approach does nothing to address the root causes of animal homelessness and is a tragic departure from Türkiye’s long-standing culture of compassion towards street animals.
Activists in Türkiye have been exposing the killings and protesting tirelessly against the law. A vigil in Kuğulu Park, Ankara, has been ongoing for over three months. Demonstrations have been held in Amsterdam, Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Romania, Poland, and the U.K.
Yesterday’s protest in Los Angeles precedes a planned demonstration on Saturday in New York City. It follows protests outside Türkiye’s embassies and consulates this week in Washington D.C. and London — where 70 activists rallied, including wildlife protection campaigner, writer, and broadcaster, Dominic Dyer.
Dyer is an ardent supporter of the cause and has spoken passionately at protests in London. He said, “President Erdoğan has declared stray dogs enemies of the state and is now undertaking the biggest slaughter of dogs anywhere in the world. The battle to protect these innocent animals in the face of such ignorance, cruelty, and exploitation is a battle for both human and animal rights in Turkey.”
TV presenter and wildlife campaigner Chris Packham, model Heather Mills, and Downton Abbey actor Peter Egan have also spoken out against the law.
In Defense of Animals and Animal Save Movement are calling for international support to pressure the Turkish government to repeal the massacre law. The organizations are also urging the global community to boycott Turkish tourism and trade, adopt Turkish animals, and sign petitions to demand humane treatment for all animals in Türkiye. Over 100,000 people have signed an Animal Save Movement petition calling for the law to be reversed. The inboxes of President Erdoğan and his top diplomats have been flooded with over 10,000 emails from In Defense of Animals supporters.
“Turkish strays are a part of Turkish culture and daily life”, said Nilgün Engin, Organizer of Ankara Animal Save. “We demand the authorities to reverse the new law which means a death sentence for them.”
Activists in Ankara held a vigil outside the Constitutional Court this week after the main opposition Republican People’s Party moved to repeal the law. The court announced yesterday it will consider the annulment request.
### NOTES ###
CONTACTS
Lisa Levinson lisa@idausa.org (215) 620-2130
Fleur Dawes fleur@idausa.org (415) 879 6879
PHOTOS & VIDEO
https://bit.ly/LATurkishStraysConsulate
LATEST VIDEOS
UPCOMING DEMONSTRATION
New York City - Saturday
TAKE ACTION AND LEARN MORE
In Defense of Animals alert: Stop Türkiye’s Gruesome Mass Killing of 4 Million Homeless Dogs & Cats
Animal Save Movement: Act Now to Save Turkey’s Dogs & Cats
ORGANIZATIONS
The mission of Animal Alliance Network (AAN) is to educate, take action, do outreach, and spread awareness on the daily atrocities animals endure due to human practices. We hope to aid in the effort to cease unsustainable practices, which oftentimes result in cruelty to animals. One of our main objectives is to create a network under which all activists are able to unify and work together to reach our common goals. https://www.animalalliancenetwork.org
Animal Save Movement is a global network of activists that bear witness to animals at the gates of slaughterhouses. Their vision is a vegan world for the animals, the planet and health. http://animalsavemovement.org
In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 40-year history of defending animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in central California, India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org
UnchainedTV is the world’s only free, nonprofit, streaming TV network to promote the plant-based lifestyle, featuring hundreds of documentaries, series and cooking shows. UnchainedTV is free to download on your phone via the App Store and free to download on TVs via Amazon Fire Stick, Roku device and Apple TV device. https://unchainedtv.com
### ENDS ###