Photo at the scene Jan. 27, courtesy James Newman.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Eleven days after a fur protester died after lighting himself on fire in downtown Portland, a friend of the protester speaks out.
Fellow animal activist Ruth Eisenbud had this to say in a statement e-mailed to us Monday:
"On Jan. 27, 2010, Daniel Shaull set himself on fire in front of Ungar's Fur Shop in Portland, Ore., to protest the wasteful and cruel abuses of the fur industry. Not much accurate information has been released about the life of Daniel Shaull...
"The fur industry ... responded with the usual slurs of terrorism, going so far as to imply that this terrible tragedy was the result of the victim's mental status and vegan diet. There were some mumblings about the high unemployment rate in Portland, somehow implying that the fur industry was necessary to provide jobs.
"While furriers hawk their violently procured products, religious leaders of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition hawk their pious rendition of dominion and their religion as compassionate. They too are complicit in the death of Daniel Shaull as their 'compassion of convenience' left a caring and compassionate young man bereft of all hope."
Eisenbud said blame falls partly on Judeo-Christian tradition because, in the Biblical Genesis, "humanity is given dominion over animals ... Animal flesh can be consumed for food; animal skins can be used for clothing."
She goes on to say that "the complicity for the death of Daniel Shaull rests squarely with those who kill the animals, sell and purchase their skins and piously promote religious values devoid of compassion for ALL beings."
She - like Shaull - follows Jainism, a religion indigenous to India. "It is because of the belief that every living being has a soul that Jainism teaches complete non-violence to all living beings," she writes. In keeping with this principle, Jains are strict vegetarians and do not wear leather, fur or silk.
"To Daniel, I say: Thank you for your courage and empathy for the suffering of ALL living beings. You did what you thought was right and just. Your gesture will not be forgotten.
"It is tragic though that you did not see the value of your own life; it too was worth preserving."
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