The bank is a major financial sponsor of Kelowna’s RibFest, and many other RibFest’s across Canada. The events are a staple of local communities, who turn a blind eye to the animal suffering required to make RibFest happen.
MATTHEW ZAMPA: ‘A group of activists locked themselves to the two front entrances of Interior Savings Credit Union on Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna, Canada, to protest the bank’s support for RibFest Kelowna, a local festival that plays host to some of the nation’s largest and cruelest pork producers… According to RibFest’s website, Interior Savings is a major financial sponsor of Kelowna’s RibFest, as well as many other RibFest’s across Canada. The family-friendly events take place every summer and are a staple of local communities, who turn a blind eye to much of the animal suffering required to make RibFest happen.
At around 11 a.m., after hours of peaceful protest, Canadian Mounties arrived and arrested seven activists. The rest of the protesters moved to the police station to await their release… This is not the first time RibFest is hearing from protesters. This summer, as festivities kicked off at RibFests across the country, nearly 100 activists with Kelowna Climate Save marched through the city’s downtown center, blocking traffic and disrupting business-as-usual to bring attention to the outsized impact events like RibFest have on the environment. When traffic cleared, two things remained abundantly clear…
The activists said they’re escalating their tactics because they’ve “exhausted all forms of reasoning” with RibFest and its primary sponsor, Interior Savings. “We have protested, written e-mails, held demonstrations, and so much more,” said Amy Soranno, one of the activists arrested on Monday. “This has been ongoing for many years now, yet our concerns have been laughed off, by not only the organizers of RibFest but also the sponsors of the event, such as Interior Savings”…
In a statement, Interior Savings said it met with the activists to hear their concerns but did not say they have any plans of pulling their support for RibFest. The bank also said it respects that “everyone has a right to their opinion and to choose a diet that makes sense for them.” Although it’s worth noting, Interior Savings does not extend that same right to choose or express a preference to the animals who spend their entire lives suffering only to be slaughtered and sold at RibFest by the truckload…
“Festivals like these cannot happen without sponsors donating money, therefore we are calling on Interior Savings to stop supporting a festival that destroys our environment and supports farms that have been proven to conduct criminal animal cruelty,” said Soranno. Outside of Interior Savings, activists displayed the undercover footage from Abbotsford on a TV screen along the sidewalk where seven other activists, all women, locked arms, blocking the entrance to the bank’. SOURCE…
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