Greece protests against Birtish fur hats

Greek police briefly detained two animal rights activists who took their clothes off Wednesday outside the British embassy in Athens to protest the use of bearskin hats by Buckingham Palace guards.

Photo: Greece protests against Birtish fur hats

Greece protests against Birtish fur hats

The two British women were released shortly after the protest, organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Wearing only fake bearskin hats, underwear and high heels, the activists held up a banner reading "Bare skin, not bearskin."

A third protester, who was not detained as she had dressed by the time police arrived, said 60-100 Canadian bears are killed every year to provide the 18-inch-high black ceremonial hats worn by military guards at London's Buckingham Palace and other royal sites.

"We wanted to draw attention to the problem," said Ewa Zanicka, from Poland.

After talks with animal rights activists this month, Britain's Defense Ministry said it is open to using synthetic fur, provided it can find a good enough replacement for bearskin.