PETA's latest campaign on Raksha Bandhan has raised some eyebrows after it posted on Twitter, "This Raksha Bandhan, protect cows too."
PETA's Raksha Bandhan Campaign stirs controversy
PETA’s Raksha Bandhan Campaign: Animal rights group PETA consistently has been known for utilizing stun strategies to come to their meaningful conclusion. Another announcement battle that the gathering has propelled, in any case, appears to have netizens scratching their heads.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Wednesday received massive backlash for their Raksha Bandhan campaign asking people to celebrate a ‘leather-free’ Raksha Bandhan. With Raksha Bandhan coming up, brands have already started coming up with marketing and ed campaigns revolving around the festival. PETA seems to have joined the bandwagon with a rather strange message. “This Raksha Bandhan, protect cows too,” PETA wrote on Twitter while introducing their new billboard campaign which features a cow seeking protection and asking humans to “go leather free”.
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Such posters have been put across various cities including Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kanpur, Patna, and Pune.
“We aim to raise awareness of the cruelty that cows, buffaloes, goats, and other animals endure before their skin is turned into shoes, bags, and other accessories,” the rights group said in a blog post.
The campaign has, however, raised some eyebrows with many wondering why it had to be hinged with Raksha Bandhan. Many on Twitter pointed out that Rakhis – the string that women tie around the wrists of their brothers on Raksha Bandhan – were seldom made of leather.
Responding to the outrage, PETA India issued a statement saying that their message had been taken in the wrong sense and that they were advocating for the protection of cows on a day when brothers vowed to protect their sisters, “We didn’t say rakhis are made of leather. We said Raksha Bandhan is a good day to extend protection to cows who are our sisters under the skin by taking a pledge to go leather-free, for life. That’s a message all kind people can get behind.”
