Christmas in July? Santas to Rally Outside Radio City to Stop Live-Animal Nativity Scenes
Editor’s note: PETA has been keeping the pressure on Radio City Music Hall. Every year they bring back the animals at the Christmas Show, and every year PETA and their supporters keep on showing up. It is a matter of time before enough public pressure builds that causes the event organizers to acknowledge that it is costing them visitors and supporters to keep their archaic animal show going. Investing in animatronics may even bring new audiences to their show, once they realize that animals aren’t being abused to entertain them.
“It’s Not Too Late to Make the Nice List! Drop Animal Acts Now!” That’s the message PETA supporters dressed as Santas will bring to Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday, urging the venue to stop using live camels, donkeys, and sheep in the Nativity scene in the Christmas Spectacular. The Santas will unfurl a naughty list scroll that officially adds Radio City Music Hall to their roster for subjecting animals to disorienting lights and loud music and for confining them backstage—some reportedly in the basement—during the show’s months-long run every winter.
“The Christmas Spectacular is anything but merry for the animals, who are treated like living props and deprived of everything natural and important to them,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Radio City Music Hall to make the ‘nice list’ this year by reinventing the iconic show to be animal-free and align it with the true spirit of Christmas.”
This rally took place Outside Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), Manhattan, New York Tuesday, July 21, 12:30 p.m.
Camels are social animals who express their feelings with groans, moans, and roars; donkeys can recognize the faces of animals they haven’t seen for years; and sheep’s heart rates increase when they can’t find their family or are approached by strangers. Animals used in live Nativities face a constant barrage of activity and unwanted touches and are often tethered and made to stand on hard surfaces for hours. Their handlers commonly threaten and intimidate them—many use abusive tools to make them obey commands out of fear of physical punishment.
PETA is also calling on the Christmas Spectacular’s sponsors—including Chase, Lexus, and Verizon—to stop supporting the show until it ends the use of live animals. PETA points out that some of New York’s most successful productions—including Broadway’s The Lion King—rely solely on brilliant puppetry and creative tech to bring animal characters to life.
Santas in July protest. Image Credit – PETA
Santas in July protest. Image Credit – PETA
Banner Image: Santas in July protest. Image Credit – PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, and PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally.
PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals.
PETA works through public education, investigative newsgathering and reporting, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.
New Yorkers Experience Christmas In July: PETA Asks Radio City To Ditch Animal Nativity
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 0 Entertainment, Environment, Equality, Morality and Ethics, Pets and Animals, Staten Islander Exclusive
Christmas in July? Santas to Rally Outside Radio City to Stop Live-Animal Nativity Scenes
Editor’s note: PETA has been keeping the pressure on Radio City Music Hall. Every year they bring back the animals at the Christmas Show, and every year PETA and their supporters keep on showing up. It is a matter of time before enough public pressure builds that causes the event organizers to acknowledge that it is costing them visitors and supporters to keep their archaic animal show going. Investing in animatronics may even bring new audiences to their show, once they realize that animals aren’t being abused to entertain them.
“It’s Not Too Late to Make the Nice List! Drop Animal Acts Now!” That’s the message PETA supporters dressed as Santas will bring to Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday, urging the venue to stop using live camels, donkeys, and sheep in the Nativity scene in the Christmas Spectacular. The Santas will unfurl a naughty list scroll that officially adds Radio City Music Hall to their roster for subjecting animals to disorienting lights and loud music and for confining them backstage—some reportedly in the basement—during the show’s months-long run every winter.
“The Christmas Spectacular is anything but merry for the animals, who are treated like living props and deprived of everything natural and important to them,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Radio City Music Hall to make the ‘nice list’ this year by reinventing the iconic show to be animal-free and align it with the true spirit of Christmas.”
This rally took place Outside Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), Manhattan, New York Tuesday, July 21, 12:30 p.m.
Camels are social animals who express their feelings with groans, moans, and roars; donkeys can recognize the faces of animals they haven’t seen for years; and sheep’s heart rates increase when they can’t find their family or are approached by strangers. Animals used in live Nativities face a constant barrage of activity and unwanted touches and are often tethered and made to stand on hard surfaces for hours. Their handlers commonly threaten and intimidate them—many use abusive tools to make them obey commands out of fear of physical punishment.
PETA is also calling on the Christmas Spectacular’s sponsors—including Chase, Lexus, and Verizon—to stop supporting the show until it ends the use of live animals. PETA points out that some of New York’s most successful productions—including Broadway’s The Lion King—rely solely on brilliant puppetry and creative tech to bring animal characters to life.
Santas in July protest. Image Credit – PETA
Santas in July protest. Image Credit – PETA
Banner Image: Santas in July protest. Image Credit – PETA
Tags: abandoned animals, Alec Baldwin, animal cruelty, animal exhibits, animal liberation, animal rights, animal suffering, animal welfare, animalkind, animals, animals and the law, animals as rights holders, animals feel hunger, animals feel pain, animals have feelings, catholic, Catholic Church, Catholic organizations, Catholicism, Catholics, christianity, cruelty to animals, demonstrations of animal cruelty, ethical treatment of animals, investigating animal cruelty, justice for animals, learn about animals, live animals, Living nativity, nonhuman animals, people for the ethical treatment of animals, protect animals, radio city music hall, radio city music hall christmas spectacular, roman catholic church, roman catholic church staten island, Roman Catholics 1 1 comment
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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, and PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally. PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals. PETA works through public education, investigative newsgathering and reporting, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.
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