Yes, it may seem hard to believe…but it’s true.
The EQUUS Film Festival, the only horse focused movie, art and literary gathering in America, just named “Protect the Harvest” as the title sponsor of its annual event in New York City on November 17-20 2016.
This shocking announcement has incited protests from horse advocates everywhere (including Hanaeleh). EQUUS’ deep level of betrayal to the horse community cannot be overstated.
Please share this info with your friends, family and social networks. Encourage them to not attend or support the EQUUS Film Festival.
Protect the Harvest is PRO-ROUND UP and PRO-SLAUGHTER.
From Protect the Harvest website: “Wild horses, which are non-native to America, have basically no predators, so the size of their herds can approach unsustainable numbers in any given area very quickly. Congress has refused to reopen horse processing facilities, the previous (successful) method for controlling excess animals under the original Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971.”
“Protect the Harvest is a national pro-agriculture coalition founded by Lucas Oil Products, Inc. CEO, Forrest Lucas.” Lucas’ PAC (Political Action Committee) has said in no uncertain terms that they want horse slaughter back in the US. He and Protect the Harvest are the MAIN roadblock to passing the SAFE Act.
This is the same Forrest Lucas who gave financial support to the propaganda film, Unbranded. Protect the Harvest works very hard to perpetuate the myth that there is overpopulation of wild horses.
You can read more about Forrest Lucas and Protect the Harvest’s record to stop every single law that protects against inhumane treatment of animals–> HERE.
There are no excess horses, only excess cattle.
And of course numerous fracking wells and mines. Since 2002, the average number of cows to wild equines is 30 to 1.
Members of Protect the Harvest have tried for years to silence Laura Leigh, founder of Wild Horse Education (a trusted resource for all wild horse advocates). They have verbally abused her as she documents round ups, as she fights the BLM in court to stop round ups, and they often threaten her life.
The TRUTH is that the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) has mismanaged the wild horses and burros for decades. 56,000 remain in holding facilities across the West. They are given inadequate shelter, substandard food, little exercise and poor medical care.
The BLM hands over public lands to the wealthy few while the horses, burros and all wildlife suffer – and it’s all paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
The backlash has been huge with EQUUS’ decision, even at this early stage – merely 24 hours since the sponsorship was announced. EQUUS has crafted a lame response and pasted in the Facebook comments of all the wild horse advocates posts…and even in the comments of their own press release yesterday morning–> HERE.
EQUUS Film Fest is now PRO-SLAUGHTER
EQUUS can say all they want about being “AGAINST slaughter” but when you agree to spread propaganda that’s PRO-SLAUGHTER, that makes you one of them. Actions speak louder than words and EQUUS has just destroyed any goodwill they had with equine advocates.
EQUUS says they want to keep the platform “open” but when the main title sponsor has paid handsomely for that privilege and they have a propaganda film (“Running Wild”) in the Festival, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the absurdity in EQUUS’ statement.
EQUUS is delusional to think they’re being “open.” This is not how you keep the platform open. Open would mean you would include all films in the festival and then let your attendees vote with their attendance on which films mattered most.
Sponsorship has money and influence attached to it. It’s not clean. It’s not transparent. They can declare they’re against slaughter all they want but their actions speak louder. If they really cared about horses, they would never even associate with Protect the Harvest, let alone welcome them as their main sponsor.
A trustworthy organization would welcome a non-partisan sponsor (ie: not a PAC – Political Action Committee). There are many suitable sponsors out there who could bring value to the Festival.
It’s a sorry, sorry day when an allegedly horse-friendly organization chooses to align themselves with the very people they are supposed to abhor. Money talks, eh?