BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Wooster St. residents and, of course, Canada Goose and probably Councilmember Margaret Chin, too, will be relieved to hear that the animal-rights activists “wrapped up the fur season” this past Saturday.
Elizabeth Argibay, one of the hardcore vegans who have been protesting outside the new Canada Goose store since it opened in Soho back in November and also outside Paragon sporting goods in Union Square — which also carries the costly, real coyote fur-trimmed coats — said this past Saturday’s protest outside Paragon was their last for the time being, now that it has gotten warm.
“This is an ‘official’ farewell, if you will, since the fur season is over,” she told The Villager. “But we’ll still check in on them, just not as often until fur season resumes. We’ll be protesting all year through for different animal causes and needs, such as the shark competition on Long Island in June — where they catch young sharks under the guise of sport — at the circus, etc.”
The shark hunt, at Point Lookout, is “repugnant,” she said.
Chin worked to tighten up police monitoring of the protesters’ seriously noisy demonstrations after constituents on Wooster St. complained to her that they were being driven to distraction.
But the protesters worked to tone down their volume, and even held a silent vigil outside Canada Goose one Saturday in February. Residents were relieved.
“I live here. It’s been 12 weeks of screaming and yelling. This is so moving,” Victoria Barbieri said at the time, regarding the quiet, candle-lit protest. “The screaming and yelling just treated us, the residents, like collateral damage. I’m so happy and grateful to see this.”
