Global March for Elephants, Rhinos and Lions - Saturday 7th October 2017

We will assemble on Middle Meadow Walk at the five ways junction in the middle of the Meadows from 12:15...the march will lead of at 12:30 on the dot.

After meandering around the Grassmarket the march will terminate on the Royal Mile on the pedestrian precinct between Coburn Street and before St Giles Cathedral where there will be speeches , music etc

The theme of the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos is 'Justice for All' but in Edinburgh we have decided to go local this year and target the Ivory Trade in the UK

According to an analysis done by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)

• The United Kingdom legally exported more than 36,000 pieces of ivory between 2010 and 2015, 370 percent more than the United States, the next biggest exporter.

• Over the same time period, the U.K. has been the major supplier for markets in China and Hong Kong.

• EIA and other environmental groups fear that the trade of legal ivory encourages the continued poaching of elephants by perpetuating demand and masking the trade of illegally harvested ivory.

• The legal trade masks the illicit trafficking that continues to drive the hunting of elephants. Scientists estimate that every 15 minutes, an elephant falls to a poacher’s gun in Africa.

The Conservative Party promised in their 2010 and 2015 manifesto that they would address the ivory trade in the UK ...in the last election they removed it from their manifesto. The Tories have a vested interest in the antique business in the UK.....Victoria Borthwick, president of the British Antique Dealers' Association, and former Conservative MP ( she lost her seat in Kensington in the last election by 20 seats ) influenced the Conservative Party to drop the 2015 manifesto pledge to totally ban the sale of ivory in the United Kingdom.

Don't forget to invite your friends and family to make it a huge success .

Following the march there will be speeches, music an other activities on the pedestrianised section of the Royal Mile ( between Coburn Street and George IV bridge but closer to Coburn Street

Please make your own placard ....if you want some designs to print off message me and I will send you a selection. Elephant, Rhino or Lion costumes / masks etc welcome . Any questions /suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me. We also have a FB page for the march.... Global March for Elephants, Rhinos, and Lions - Edinburgh https://www.facebook.com/events/1935706900007237/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A%22[%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22page%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22page_upcoming_events_card%5C%22%2C%5C%22... (https://www.facebook.com/events/1935706900007237/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A%22[%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22page%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22page_upcoming_events_card%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A[]%7D]%22%2C%22has_source%22%3Atrue%7D)