Yulin Dog Meat Festival: Matt Damon, Pamela Anderson and Leona Lewis call for controversial event to be banned
'We’re here asking you to stop the cruelty, stop the beatings, stop the burning'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Matt Damon, Pamela Anderson, Leona Lewis and other prominent figures have come together to call for an end to Yulin’s annual dog meat festival which began today.
The controversial 10-day festival which takes place in Yulin in southern China has faced widespread domestic and international condemnation. 10,000 dogs and cats are expected to be killed and eaten during the event and a petition calling for it to be banned has garnered an unprecedented 11 million signatures.
Hollywood stars have joined forces to protest against the festival in a campaign video titled Compassion Project released by the non-profit Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation.
Speaking in unison, Damon, Anderson, Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, and more, make the case and form the “voice for those who cannot speak.”
“We’re here asking you to stop the cruelty, stop the beatings, stop the burning, stop the hangings, stop skinning them alive, stop the stabbing, stop boiling them alive, stop the torture,” they say together.
British singer Leona Lewis has also supported the campaign. The Vanderpump Dog Foundation released the song “(We Are All) Looking for a Home,” written by Diane Warren and performed by Lewis. The video which accompanies the song includes harrowing images of dogs in cages waiting to be slaughtered.
“I can't just stand by & watch this go on,” Lewis wrote on Twitter.
In the run-up to the festival, dogs are stored in small, restricted cages. What’s more, some images show animals with collars on which may suggest they were once pets. According to the local government, the festival does not have official backing and is instead run by private businesses.
Dogs are not universally considered pets in China in the same way that they are in the West and eating dogs is fairly common there.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments