Wilhelm, an independent animal rights lobbyist joined Fur Free SA’s protest against the fur trade on 17 August last year.
During this demonstration several individuals participated in a silent walk through The Zone and the Firs Shopping Centre in Rosebank in anti-fur T-shirts and tainted fur coats.
It was at this protest that Wilhelm was approached by Rosebank police and informed that a charge of malicious damage to property regarding a previous incident had been laid against her by Robert Fischer.
Fischer owns the fur business, Erich Fischer Furriers and has a flagship store in The Firs shopping centre.
He alleged that Wilhelm placed an anti-fur sticker on his shop window, defacing private property.
“People are entitled to voice an opinion, but they are not entitled to act out [maliciously] because [you don’t agree with them],” said Fischer.
Wilhelm explained that her main objective was to have the fur trade in South Africa banned, and that she was targeting the industry and not Fischer personally. She noted that she had previously contested the source and origins of Fischer’s fur products. “I have issued two promotion of access to information requests to Fischer,” she said.
In response, Fischer highlighted that there were many fur and hide traders in South Africa, and yet the protesters were outside his store at least twice a month.
He stated that the protesters also wore T-shirts specifically with the name of his business printed on them.
Regarding the origins of his products, Fischer stated that he had trade privacy information rights, and his competitors did not need to know where he sourced his products from. Fischer emphasised that he voluntarily chose to follow the origins assurance initiative, which ensures that fur products are sourced from countries where welfare regulations and standards governing fur production are in force.
“We are the only company in Africa which is part of the origin assurance initiative, and I am audited by Cotecna [a testing, inspection and certification company] on a regular basis,” he said.
Wilhelm argued that an origins assured label was not sufficient enough to prove that fur production was compassionate.
She is due to appear at the Hillbrow Magistates’ Court on 2 February for malicious damage to property.
The incident was captured in a compilation video made by one of the anti-fur protesters
Watch the video below:
Do you feel that anti-fur lobbyists have the right to protest outside business establishments that legally trade in fur products?
Tell us by posting on our timeline, Rosebank Killarney Gazette or tweet us @RK_Gazette
Add us on BBM for the latest news in your community. PIN: 29C7976C
