Corporate Fur Group Attempted to Buy Opposition to Fur Ban

Corporate interests paid people off to help kill a bill. They also tried to pay high school activist Celeste to publicly oppose a bill banning fur products in California— but instead, she blew the whistle.
 
“They told me I could get paid to pretend to be a grassroots opponent of the fur ban, even after I told them that I don’t oppose it,” she said.
 
During a hearing on a California bill to ban the sale and manufacturing of fur, Edwin Lombard spoke in opposition to the bill, claiming it was racist. But his company was paid $3,500 by the Fur Information Council of America, as documents uncovered by Direction Action Everywhere later revealed. There were also posts on Facebook also promised “an easy $100” fighting tyranny, that were created by Andrew DiGiovanna, who verbally opposed the bill, which was actually a ploy to get people to pose a grassroots organization opposing the fur ban.
 
The Fur Council of America reported spending more than $100,000 on lobbying efforts between January and June 2019.
 
AB 44 would be the first statewide ban on selling and making fur.
 
“We have to dig a little deeper and empower ourselves with the truth,” Celeste said. “Let’s push the fur ban through the finish line.”

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