Rafferty Law demands MoD replace real bearskin caps with faux fur – despite having no links to the military – after government insisted bears are killed as part of sanctioned ‘cull’
Rafferty Law has waded into a row with the Ministry Of Defence as he attempts to follow in his famous parents’ activist footsteps.
Despite having no military experience, the actor and model, 25, took aim at the government department – yet noted his issue was with their clothing policy.
The actor and model, 25, joined forces with PETA to urge the MoD to replace the real bearskin used for the caps worn by the Queen’s Guard with faux fur – to which the department responded insisting they use fur from bear killed as part of a ‘sanctioned cull’.
Rafferty’s new career in activism follows the path of his dad Jude – who previously sent a letter on behalf of PETA urging the World Trade Organization to uphold the EU ban on seal-fur imports.
Rafferty had previously attempted to follow in Jude’s acting footsteps with a role in the universally panned Oliver Twist remake.
A Law onto himself: Rafferty Law has waded into a row with the Ministry Of Defence – despite having no links to the military – insisting they stop using real fur
Rafferty’s campaign also comes 16 years after Rafferty’s mum Sadie Frost posed nude for PETA’s famous ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ series.
The new animal rights crusade sees Rafferty point out that it takes the skin of at least one bear to make a single cap, which serves ‘absolutely no military purpose – yet, each cap costs taxpayers £1,710.’
More than £1 million of UK taxpayers’ money has been spent on these caps in the past seven years, despite the fact that ECOPEL has offered to supply the MoD with unlimited free faux bear fur until 2030.
In the video, Law explains that these bears are often nursing mothers, whose cubs are left to starve, ‘One cap can actually represent the painful deaths of an entire family. And for what? … It’s sickening and quite frankly devastating.’
Speaking out: The campaign sees Rafferty point out that it takes the skin of at least one bear to make a single cap, which serves ‘absolutely no military purpose’
Go faux: More than £1 million of UK taxpayers’ money has been spent on these caps in the past seven years, despite the fact that ECOPEL has offered to supply the MoD with unlimited free faux bear fur until 2030
The Ministry of Defence has responded: ‘Currently we have no plans to end the use of bearskins. Bear pelts that are used are the by-products of a licensed cull by the Canadian authorities to manage the wild bear population.
‘Guardsmen take great pride in wearing the bearskin cap which is an iconic image of Britain. It must look smart but also be practical for the guardsman to wear in wet or dry weather.’
‘The material it is made from must therefore meet the five required criteria. MOD do use man made alternatives in their uniforms where these provide suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative to animal products.’
Despite the MoD’s claims that the bears are killed as part of a Canadian government–sanctioned ‘cull’, PETA say they have found no evidence of any Canadian province running – or having previously run – any official black bear culling programmes.
Iconic: Law comes from a family of proud anti-fur activists: his mother, Sadie Frost, previously appeared in PETA’s iconic ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ series in 2006
Close: Actor Rafferty was seen supporting his mum’s new clothing line in London last week
Law’s video marks his second anti-fur campaign with PETA. It comes on the heels of the launch of a government petition by Britain’s Got Talent star Alesha Dixon, that seeks 100,000 signatures in order to trigger a parliamentary debate on the MoD’s continued use of bearskin.
To date the campaign has 35,800 signatures.
Law comes from a family of proud anti-fur activists: his mother, Sadie Frost, previously appeared in PETA’s iconic ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ series in an ad stating ‘Turn Your Back on Fur.’
Way back when: Rafferty is the son of Sadie and Jude Law – who has also campaigned for PETA sending a letter urging the World Trade Organization to uphold the EU ban on seal-fur imports – which it did (the couple pictured in 1997)
His father, Jude, sent a letter on behalf of PETA urging the World Trade Organization to uphold the EU ban on seal-fur imports – which it did.
Rafferty has also followed his parents into acting, making his movie debut in last year’s Twist, a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ 1838 novel Oliver Twist, alongside Michael Caine, Lena Headey and Rita Ora.
The film was met with a lukewarm response from critics, and took $212,125 at the global box office.
Lead role: Rafferty has also followed his parents into acting, making his movie debut in last year’s Twist, a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ 1838 novel Oliver Twist
The Ministry of Defence’s statement of the use of bearskins in full
Currently we have no plans to end the use of bearskins. Bear pelts that are used are the by-products of a licensed cull by the Canadian authorities to manage the wild bear population.
Bears are never hunted to order for use by the MOD. Our suppliers source pelts made available by the Canadian authorities following a licenced cull as part of a programme to manage the wild bear population; Provincial, territorial, federal and international laws provide strict trade regulations to protect against unlawful trade in black bears both within Canada and internationally.
Bear pelts that are used for the Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps are the by-products of these licenced culls, as opposed to fur being harvested from an animal being bred for this sole purpose. Therefore, any reduction in the number of bearskins procured by the MOD would not equate to a reduction in the numbers of bears being culled.
Guardsmen take great pride in wearing the bearskin cap which is an iconic image of Britain. It must look smart but also be practical for the guardsman to wear in wet or dry weather. The material it is made from must therefore meet the five required criteria. MOD do use man made alternatives in their uniforms where these provide suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative to animal products. For example the smaller busby hats worn by the King’s Troop are made from faux fur. Unfortunately, there is currently no non-animal alternative available that meet the essential criterion for the Queen’s Guards ceremonial caps.
A man-made fabric manufactured by Ecopel was passed to an independent testing house by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and those results were shared with the MOD. However, our analysis of the results shows that it does not in fact reach the standards needed to provide an effective replacement for our bearskin ceremonial caps.
Analysis of these recent tests conducted on the fake fur fabric showed it met only one of the five requirements to be considered as a viable alternative for ceremonial caps. Whilst it met the basic standard for water absorption, it showed unacceptable rates of water shedding and performed poorly on the visual assessment. As the artificial fur sadly didn’t meet the standards required for a ceremonial cap which is worn throughout the year and in all weathers, the MOD has no plans to take this fake fur fabric forward.
As well as passing initial laboratory tests, any new fabric would have to meet with user approval for shape and comfort for a parade length of duty. It would look at whether the fabric could maintain its shape over time, whether it is comfortable and safe for the user – including ensuring any waterproof backing is breathable – whether the faux fur is waterproof after the shaping, sewing and perforation that would be involved and consideration would also be given to its sustainability compared to the current natural fur fabric.
Ministry of Defence
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