In March 2002 Ingrid Newkirk went on CCN’s Crossfire and claimed that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals never targets children after CNN Crossfire host Tucker Carlson accused PETA activists of harassing his kids at a circus. Newkirk said the event could not possibly have happened as Carlson depicted, “Because everything we do is based at adults.
Of course, as with most things, Newkirk was simply lying as PETA targeted children before and after this bit of nonsense. One of the most outrageous examples of PETA’s targeting of children was its Christmas campaign, “Your Mommy Kills Animals!”
PETA produced a graphic pamphlet for people to hand to the children of women wearing fur. The one-page pamphlet shows a woman with a large knife stabbing a rabbit with the copy,
Ask your mommy . . .how many animals she killed to make her fur coat? The sooner she stops wearing fur, the sooner animals will be safe!
A PETA press release said the group would hand the fliers outside of performances of The Nutcracker,
PETA activists – including cuddly, costumed raccoons and foxes – are making guest appearances outside performances of The Nutcracker across the country this holiday season with a cheeky message of compassion. As children arrive to see the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy,” some will be unaware that their mothers are already starring in a real-life horror story! PETA will be there to greet any fur-clad moms and their children with their newest anti-fur leaflet-PETA Comics presents…”Your Mommy Kills Animals!”
Kids will see the bloody truth behind their momsÂ’ pretentious pelts. Accompanied by graphic photographs of skinned carcasses and animals languishing on fur farms, children will read: “Lots of wonderful foxes, raccoons, and other animals are kept by mean farmers who squish them into cages so small that they can hardly move. They never get to play or swim or have fun. All they can do is cry-just so your greedy mommy can have that fur coat to show off in when she walks the streets.”
Don’t worry, though — I’m sure if anyone confronts Newkirk about this campaign she’ll again dissemble and claim that this couldn’t possibly happen because PETA only targets adults!
Source:
PETAÂ’s New Comic for Kids – a Real-Life Horror Story! Press Release, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, December 2003.