In December 2022, Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, became the richest person on the planet. Through cruel and ruthless business practices, especially towards animals, he has accrued a fortune of over 200 billion dollars. As the owner of 75 world renowned luxury brands, Bernard Arnault has all the resources in the world, and an immense amount of power. Yet he doesn’t use this power for the benefit of others; he uses it to poison our environment and massacre foxes, minks and raccoon dogs by the millions.
The innocent animals killed for LVMH’s bottom line are raised on farms where they never experience a day of normalcy in their life – others are trapped and ripped from their natural habitat. All while the toxic runoff from industrial fur farming operations destabilizes delicate ecosystems, threatening all wildlife. All so LVMH brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Fendi can sell fur coats.
Arnault and his conglomerate were always going to be the toughest opponent the anti-fur movement would ever face. With this recent development, that fact has become even more clear. It’s going to take nothing less than an internationally unified grassroots effort to force LVMH’s hand to go fur-free. Bernard Arnault may have all the money in the world, but he will never have our resolve. For the furred animals he continues to oppress for profit, we will carry on the fight.
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFTUSA) – exists to forever end the killing of wildlife for their fur. CAFT has protests scheduled against LVMH around the world. Join us on the streets for the upcoming global action against LVMH from 4/10 – 4/11.
Livermore, CA – Today is the second day of an international weekend of action against Max Mara. While activists from Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) were scouting a potential protest against Max Mara’s Livermore store, they realized that some of the items in the store looked suspiciously like real racoon fur. Upon closer inspection of the garments, the items were clearly labeled as “real fur” – violating California’s new law outlawing its sale.
CAFT condemns Max Mara for this violation of the law and hopes that local authorities will take swift action against them to discourage other brands from following in Max Mara’s footsteps.
The fur trade has been struggling as an industry for the past few years with the recent trend of major fashion conglomerates enacting fur-free policies company wide. Often these policies have come after intense pressure from animal advocates. “We applaud Californians for taking a stand against fur – however, ending the sale of fur in California is not enough. CAFT wants to see a world where no animal has to die for a luxury garment.”
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFTUSA) – exists to forever end the killing of wildlife for their fur. CAFT has protests scheduled against Max Mara around the world to demand that fashion finally stops using fur.
On Thursday, just 8 days after Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade announced their new campaign, two Los Angeles activists were arrested while protesting outside Max Mara.
This 4-person demonstration is yet another example of how strong any action has the potential to be, regardless of size. After the first arrest, the remaining activists continued up until Max Mara shut their doors, which was followed by the final arrest. Both activists were kept overnight and released early this morning, only to head straight back to Max Mara and show them that our voices will not be silenced by arrests or intimidation tactics. The two are still facing charges and have court dates set to determine their fates.
We have already incurred $2500 from these arrests and there is a possibility that fines and lawyer fees could raise that amount even more. Any and all help would be much appreciated.
Once the police showed up the first activist was arrested for the possession of an “incendiary device” – the smoke flare – that later got reduced to possession of a destructive device. This same activist was also charged with “defacing property” which we assume is for chalking a sidewalk a week ago (which we ourselves cleaned up after the protest was over)- both of these charges are misdemeanors. The other activist was arrested for allegedly “assaulting a police officer”. We are still unclear as to what assault took place but this is a felony offense and is a very serious accusation.
For lovers around the world the second week of February is a time to show your devotion to a special person in your life. For animal rights activists it is a time to show our devotion to putting an end to the fur industry. Instead of chocolates and flowers we will be bringing air horns and megaphones to proclaim our love for the wildlife imprisoned on fur farms.
LVMH and Max Mara
LVMH and Max Mara Group are two fashion conglomerates that have no empathy for wildlife. They are some of the last brands to still use fur and it is our mission to make sure they enact fur-free policies. These two brands will be the focus of the weekend of action.
LVMH is our long term campaign and there have been nearly 400 protests against them worldwide. They are the largest luxury brand in the world run by the wealthiest person in the world, Bernard Arnault. LVMH owns nearly all the iconic brands still selling fur in their collections such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Fendi. LVMH is a powerhouse in the fashion industry and they have the ability to set trends and break them. If we ever want to see an end to fur – we need LVMH to be committed to a fur-free policy.
Max Mara is a brand new campaign that CAFT just launched. They are an Italian brand that currently sells the dead bodies of minks and foxes in their collections. They are no stranger to protests from the animal rights movement and they stood up against international pressure in 2010 staged by a grassroots effort very similar to ours. Success against Max Mara requires hitting them hard. For this reason we ask every city that has a Max Mara target to make them your priority for this weekend of action.
Global Actions are vital for Animal Liberation
We are confronting some of the most violent industries on the planet. They have infinite resources with a single priority: maximum profits. If we are going to stand a chance at defeating fur we need to be united and work together.
NO ACTION IS TO SMALL
Some cities have the numbers to have protests flood into the streets and bring traffic to a halt while others wreak havoc without even covering the sidewalk. It does not matter if you have 100 people or 1, when we are working together every single action taken matters. This is a collective effort; if one person is standing outside of a Louis Vuitton in 20 cities around the world, our adversaries are going to take notice. In a global campaign 1 person can make a difference.
Tactics to bring down the fur industry
DEMONSTRATIONS
Protests are our bread and butter and these are at the top of our lists for this Valentine’s Day weekend. This coalition has not won 9 campaigns by asking nicely, we have done it with demands backed up by action. CAFT will be in the streets everyday of this action.
EDUCATION
LVMH and Max Mara are well aware of their crimes against wildlife. While we may not be able to educate them into going for free, we can educate their customers and the public. Public opinion is on our side when it comes to the fur issue and this is the perfect opportunity to get people involved in animal rights.
Petitions for Wildlife
This is a classic approach to social change that is welcoming to the whole family. CAFT has a petition that you can get people to sign in the streets.
Leafleting
Simple and to the point – if you need materials you can reach out to the organizing team and we will send you some literature.
Video Outreach
The popularity of video outreach in the animal rights movement is at
an all time high. CAFT encourages organizers to participate in ways they are comfortable so we have a video you can download and play in a loop that can be found here.
PROPAGANDA
Wheat Pasting
There is a reason corporations pay millions of dollars to advertise their brands on every street corner around the world – it works. Being omnipresent is vital for animal rights to become a real discussion amongst everyday citizens. Shaming the brands still invested in fur is an excellent way to participate in this weekend of action. You can download posters for wheat pasting here.
Stickers
Activism has never been so easy. Spread awareness with stickers. You can order stickers by messaging us at organize@caftusa.org.
INNOVATE
Get creative
Have an idea that is not listed above? Go for it. We love seeing what people come up with and encourage you to act up for animals in whatever way empowers you and your community.
No matter what you do in your city against the fur trade, make sure you document your action with videos, pictures and send them to action@caftusa.org so that we can include them in the action report.
Liberation is Love
The title “Liberation is Love ” may be a cute play on the Valentines Day holiday but for the folks at CAFT this phrase is much more personal.
In 2013 the founders of CAFT USA snuck onto a mink farm in the middle of the night in Peoria Illinois. With a police scanner streaming through their earpiece and bolt cutters in hand they released 2,000 minks into the countryside and the farm was forced to close down indefinitely. This farm had been in business for decades and was closed in a single night through non-violent direct action. Before leaving the farm the message “Liberation is Love ” was spray painted on the side of a barn to convey to the media the motives behind the action.
When we step into the streets for animals it may be anger that resonates through our megaphones but it is love that fuels our hatred for industries killing animals.
The fur industry is one of many industries killing the planet and their demise is only a step towards the end goal of animal liberation. If we are going to be successful we need to act swiftly and appropriately.
On Wednesday January 18th Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, better known as Tort, was killed while defending the Weelaunee Forest by an Atlanta police officer.
Right now the city of Atlanta is planning on building a 85-acre police training center in the Weelaunee Forest. If completed, this facility will not only be the training grounds for an already hyper-militarized police force, it will also displace the owls, bobcats and brown-tailed deer that call the Atlanta forest home. Every year more forests are destroyed, more homes decimated, more pollution created. The United States has the 7th highest deforestation rate in the world and has lost 96 percent of our forests – at what point do we say enough is enough?
Tort and the forest defenders of Atlanta have decided that time is now.
Resistance to capital and power has always come at a price; for Tort, his family, friends and community it is one that will never be forgotten or forgiven. What is nearly as terrifying as the murder of Tort is the charges against other forest defenders for domestic terrorism for fighting back against corporations destroying this planet we share.
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade USA (CAFT USA) is an animal rights organization whose mission is to end the killing of wildlife for fur. To us, abolishing fur is one of many steps to create a world that is based on compassion and respect for the natural world. We believe that the Defend The Forest (DTF) campaign is also part of this struggle and is an integral aspect of animal liberation. Without a healthy planet – we have nothing. Without a liveable planet it won’t matter if we end the fur trade because the bobcats we fight for will have nothing without a forest to call home.
Tort gave his life defending the forest – for animal, human and earth liberation.
Rest in power, Tort.
CAFT USA condemns the actions of the Atlanta police. We reject the notion that defending the planet – even if done so with tactics that are aggressive – is domestic terrorism. We stand in solidarity with the DTF campaign and the forest defenders carrying on this fight.
Learn more at DefendTheAtlantaForest.org
Join us in the streets for an action in solidarity with the DTF campaign next Wednesday.
When: February 1st at 2pm.
Where: is 731 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Welcome Max Mara Group to the campaign to abolish the fur trade!
Max Mara Group is an Italian fashion conglomerate that is still holding onto the archaic fur industry. They currently sell the dead bodies of minks and foxes. Both of these animals are raised on fur farms, where they sit in tiny cages being denied even the most basic needs. They often cannibalize each other due to the intense stress caused by the fur industries’ inherent cruelty.
Starting today Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade is making Max Mara Group our top campaign target.
Max Mara has been protested many times by animal rights groups in the past and so far has resisted going fur-free. What does this mean for the campaigners at CAFT? It means we need to up the stakes and pile the pressure on Max Mara like they have never seen before. This means weekly worldwide protests, call ins, online actions – whatever it takes to get the animal abusers at Max Mara to commit to end the killing of wildlife for fur.
In the spirit of making this round against Max Mara Group the one that convinces them to go fur-free, we will not only be protesting their flagship brand Max Mara, but all of the subsidiaries that fall under the groups umbrella – including the ones that do not sell fur.
Here are the targets:
● Max Mara
● Sportmax
● Weekend at Max Mara
● Pennyblack
● Marina Rinaldi
● Persona – by Marina Rinaldi
● Marella
● iBLUES
● Intrend
Marina Rinaldi and Sportmax may not sell fur, but they are part of the same corporation and an action against them is every bit as good as one against Max Mara when it comes to applying pressure.
CAFT USA believes that good intentions are not enough when it comes to defending wildlife. Foxes suffering in cages do not care how hard we tried, they care about getting out of cages – they depend on our success.
We can beat the fur industry – as long as we work together. Give us a hand by
●Demonstrate– Set up a protest outside your local Max Mara (or LVMH target if you do not have a Max Mara or one of their subsidiaries in your city) On the ground protests are the heart of what has made CAFT successful.
● Educate – The options are endless, from wheatpasting posters around your city to gathering petitions. Education is a tried and true tactic for social change. Contact CAFT for materials.
● Donate – Challenging the most violent industries on the planet is not cheap, your gift will ensure we can continue this fight for wildlife.
Have questions on the campaign, or want to volunteer? Reach out and we will point you in the right direction.
April 20th, 2023 is the most important date on the calendar for LVMH. On this day, Bernard Arnault and his corporate cronies will present their yearly financial report to shareholders. As a publicly traded company beholden to stock buyers, great efforts will be made to ensure that the event goes smoothly.
This is where the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade comes in. We will disrupt, demonstrate, organize and agitate, taking our demand of a fur-free policy straight to the CEO’s face.
WHO?
All activists, new or experienced, who want to see an end to the fur industry. That is, whether animal liberation, earth liberation, or human liberation are your main motive, we must all work together to fight the goliath that is LVMH and the fur trade.
WHERE?
Paris, France *
*The primary objective is to gather the largest presence possible at the event itself. That being said, worldwide actions will be held in solidarity, so there will be opportunities to act in congruence for those who cannot be there in person!
**If there isn’t an event in your city, contact us to set one up!
Louis Vuitton-Möet Hennessy’s 2023 Annual General Meeting! The AGM is any publicly traded company’s most lauded day of the year. This is the time when the CEO invites all shareholders to attend, rub shoulders, and shmooze in person. During this time, all things fiscally-related will be mulled over at length. Our cheery crew will be there bright and early to breathe some energy into this incredibly dull event. We plan to make our message direct, clear, and loud enough for Bernard himself to have his ears ringing by the end of the day. However, the party doesn’t stop there! Actions will continue to be held for 10 more days following the AGM.*
*Rough schedule will be posted at a future date.
WHY?
If there is ever a time for global unification, this is it! There are several reasons for this.
1. AUDIENCE.
This event will be a massive gathering of all talking heads, decision makers, investors, and everyday shareholders at LVMH. It is the perfect opportunity to bring the campaign to all with vested interests in protecting the company’s image and, ultimately, their profit margins. This means, as activists, we must rise to the occasion and rouse the masses to bring everyone together.
As the saying goes “we will never back down.” It’s time to put our words into action.
Just over a year into this campaign campaign, and with covid travel restrictions finally waning, now is our chance to show up. LVMH was lucky last year to not have us there. Pressure is building, and their luck has run out.
2. LOCATION.
Paris is LVMH’s home turf. It is pivotal that we bring our message not only to the AGM but to the businesses they own on their stomping grounds.
3. TIMING.
The campaign was announced on January 25th, 2022. This means the 15-month campaign anniversary lies in the dead center of this event. We have alluded since the very beginning to the fact that this is an escalating campaign, and have so far kept our promises not only by sticking to it, but also by growing in numbers and strength. The inclusion of dedicated European groups has been a monumental step in our march toward liberation. This is our chance to not only take it to the next level, but to unite and build upon our ideas and strategize toward abolishing the fur trade for good.
In addition to escalating and applying pressure, this event will be an occasion to build in strength and foster community. As a united front against a single target, we will become an unstoppable force never before seen by the industry.
HOW?
Loud as ever. Let’s bring our trademark activist rambunctiousness and tear down the fur trade, once and for all, together.
… … …
We need every activist in every city to take action against LVMH on the day of the AGM. If you are able to come to Paris, we strongly suggest that you make this trip a priority as soon as possible. If you can make it for only a few days, please prioritize April 20th, as this is the focus of the week of action.
Do not wait – make sure you have a valid passport, book your flight, and make sure to secure lodging now. Global participation is vital on this critical day. Let us not miss this opportunity to confront LVMH and all its decision makers, investors and shareholders.
Only if we act together can we expect to achieve the seemingly impossible task of meeting eye-to-eye with the richest and most powerful person in the world. As a collective group we will achieve victories for the animals, and tear down the fur trade forever.
Please reach out to parisaction@caftusa.org with any questions about participating in this global action.
On New Years day of 2023, California made history by becoming the first state to ban the sale of fur.
This is a massive win for animals that can not be overlooked. We applaud every activist that made this possible.
WHY IS CAFT STILL PROTESTING IN CALIFORNIA?
The corporations we go against operate internationally, and as long as they sell fur anywhere in the world we will continue to protest them. We are not asking for LVMH to stop selling fur in California, we are asking for them to stop selling fur altogether. While this victory is a cause for celebration, it is imperative that this ban does not impede on our continued fight against the industries that still sell in other states and abroad
FUR BANS HELP PROTEST CAMPAIGNS
Not only do political campaigns and hard-hitting bans help make our work easier, but our campaigns make legislative work easier. “Fashion” lobbying groups that once represented brands like Saks, Neiman Marcus, and a host of other brands who have committed to fur-free policies, are no longer showing up to push back against legislation.
Legislative and protest groups are all working toward the same goal: abolishing the fur trade. From the looks of it, we may get there sooner than we expected.
This ban is a monumental victory, however, the fight is still not over. No, these specific stores do not sell fur. Yes, we will continue to protest them. This is for the same reason that we still protest companies like Tiffany, Bulgari, and even Leslie’s Pool Supplies. The fact that a place does not actively sell fur does not mean their relevance in the campaign is null.
The fight goes on, even in the fur-free stores of California. Why? Because it is the companies that we are targeting, not the people who buy from them.
2022 was an abhorrent year for the fur industry and a prodigious one in the fight to free animals imprisoned on fur farms. CAFT’s mission is to forever end the killing of wildlife for their fur, and with each campaign win, another step is taken toward that goal.
Together, we saw countless victories, from designers announcing fur-free policies to legislative victories that changed the landscape for the future of animals on fur farms. But what we find most impressive, is the collaborative work taken up by grassroots organizers around the world.
CAFT is an all volunteer group made up of 5 individuals. What we achieved as an organization in 2022 is not the work of 6 people but rather the work of activists all over the globe, with one goal in mind: abolishing the fur trade.
In CAFT’s 2021 “Year in Review” we vowed to get Moncler to go fur-free. Together, we did much more, let’s take a look.
HIGHLIGHTS
On January 25th Moncler & Stone Island went fur-free after our 123 day campaign.
On January 25th we launched two international campaigns, one against Zegna Group and the other against the world’s largest luxury brand: Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton (LVMH).
On February 1st all of the Zenga Group pledges to go fur-free after 4 days of attention from CAFT. This included 13 subsidiaries including Thom Browne.
On November 21st we launched a campaign against Rebecca Minkoff – 14 days later Minkoff announced a fur-free policy.
Over 2022 coalition to abolish the fur trade held 5 international actions resulting in 375 protests in 47 cities in 10 countries.
CAFT Europe was launched and has since swept across the continent.
Thank you for your support and commitment over this past year. CAFT looks forward to more victories with you over 2023.
Read the full reports below.
MONCLER VICTORY
Our first success of the year came with a fur-free announcement by Moncler. Moncler was one of the world’s foremost purveyors of luxury ski jackets, and the marquee items in their collection all included the ripped off skins of blameless coyotes. Alongside Canada Goose (now also fur-free) Moncler jackets were pervasive in virtually every affluent cold weather neighborhood.
But they won’t be any longer, as after a powerful group effort that saw, at its height, one protest every two days, they caught up with modern times and announced a fur-free policy. Coyotes will be free to howl forevermore, unmolested by Moncler’s blood profiteering ways.
In addition to the basic strategy of hammering their retail locations, CAFT looked for an achilles’ heel. We found that in Moncler’s recent acquisition of the fashion brand Stone Island. Stone Island did not sell a single item of fur, but since they were now connected to a company that did, we focused our attention on them.
After four energetic protests at Stone Island, Moncler dropped fur just a few weeks later. Stone Island had no skin in the furred animal skin game, so this pressure on a secondary target was the final push necessary for the entire corporation to quickly announce their step toward sustainability. Cages that would have imprisoned baby raccoon dogs will remain empty due to our worldwide struggle for liberation.
ZEGNA GROUP VICTORY
Our second win of the year came more swiftly than we could have even imagined. A mere four days after the launch of our campaign against Zegna Group, the world’s largest and most profitable menswear company, we received a letter confirming their sudden commitment to going fur-free.
This came on the heels of a rapid fire weekend of activism that featured an online comment initiative and three on the ground protests spread across Boston and LA. Zegna moved swiftly to enact a fur-free policy not because of 3 protests, but rather CAFT’s reputation for consistency. Once we latch onto a target we do not relent until we win. Zegna Group saved themselves the hassle of weekly protests worldwide.
REBECCA MINKOFF VICTORY
Our third campaign victory of the year was won against the fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff. Unique among CAFT campaigns thus far was the fact that Minkoff had supposedly already dropped fur. She had pledged to PETA in 2019 that she would never use the skins of furred animals ever again. And yet, for the 2022 winter season, our team noticed that she was planning to release a full rabbit fur coat.
The only thing worse than an animal abuser is an animal abuser and a liar. We cannot allow brands to renege on their promises to drop fur. Anyone who goes back on the fur-free commitment will be mercilessly targeted.
Which is exactly what CAFT activists did. Rebecca Minkoff, due to financial hardships during COVID, did not have a single retail store. So we latched onto her parent company Sunrise Brands and, like the steel toothed traps used by our enemies, did not let go. Tags, American Rag CIE, and Hero Motors, all Sunrise Brands who do not directly sell fur, were each visited in some capacity. We also dropped by the neighborhoods of high-ranking company employees, including the gilded Beverly Hills gates of the corporation’s CEO himself.
After only 14 days of pressure, Sunrise Brands confirmed to CAFT that all 14 of their brands including Rebecca Minkoff would be instituting a fur-free policy, effective immediately.
THE RISE OF EUROPE
If no other achievement marked the year 2022, the resurgence of Europe as a powerful front in the battle to defeat the fur trade would have been enough. CAFT Europe, CAFT Denmark, Collectif SIPE and various other independent animal rights groups have taken on the LVMH campaign, and with this has come a surge of activism, on the doorstep of the most heinous fur offender LVMH.
The rise of Europe started in the Netherlands and has since spread to 8 countries in the EU. Danish activists have engaged in rough and tumble actions. German activists have held the line across their country. Spanish activists have shown no compromise. Activists in Paris have boldly disrupted stores and headquarters at the very heart of the LVMH empire. The momentum of the grassroots has reached massive proportions and shows no sign of slowing. This global unity is exactly what we need to defeat the fur trade.The rise of Europe makes a victory against LVMH inevitable and a world without fur possible.
NORTH AMERICAN RESISTANCE
Since the announcement of our campaign against the planet’s most powerful luxury conglomerate, North American activists have not backed down. Undaunted by LVMH’s colossal size and influence, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami. Chicago, Boston, DC and more have all been consistent fixtures outside the doors of their brands and holdings.
Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi and Loro Piana have been the main targets of our coalition as these are the most recognizable LVMH brands that still actively sell fur. But activists have also branched out, engaging in protests in front of stores such as Tiffany & Co and Rimowa. As the campaign burns on, we have even begun the process of letting tangential (but still LVMH-owned) brands like Uncle Julio’s and Leslie’s Pools know that if you deal in any way with Bernard Arnault and his sickening fur selling ways, then you deal with us.
BEATING LVMH IS ESSENTIAL TO ANIMAL LIBERATION
At the beginning of this year, CAFT announced a monumental campaign. This campaign has set us up against the most challenging target the fur industry has to offer, the most lucrative corporation in Europe headed by the richest human being on the planet: Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH).
Bernard Arnault’s cut throat conglomerate has always had a reputation for ruthlessness. In the 1980s, while still building his castle of skulls, Arnault fired nearly 10,000 of his employees in just two years. He has been called “The Wolf in Cashmere” and “The Terminator.”
LVMH is an enemy of all who seek justice and equality, and for the animal liberation movement, they are the catalyst to abolish the fur trade.
Throughout the year, activists have persistently protested many of the conglomerate’s 75 brand holdings. We pressure both those who sell fur as well as those who do not, and lead with the motto: “deal with LVMH, deal with us!” This strategy is known as secondary targeting and its efficacy has been proven with 9 consecutive campaign victories and 43 brands going fur-free.
Beating LVMH is an ambitious goal, but an imperative step if we are to abolish the fur trade. LVMH owns nearly all of the large fashion houses still selling fur. Once they stop buying the pelts of tortured wildlife the fur industry will have lost a major structural component in the foundation of their existence.
CAFT will beat LVMH. Future generations of wildlife depend on our success.
ACTION IS EVERYTHING
Animals do not care how hard we tried, they care about results – they care about liberation. Since CAFT’s inception we have won 9 campaigns resulting in 43 brands going fur-free. This would not be possible without the hard work of the international coalition to abolish the fur trade.
In 2022 we have collectively done 375 protests in 47 cities across 10 countries.
Talk is cheap, action is everything.
Thank you to everyone that made this year’s accomplishments possible.
Last night Los Angeles activists with Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade took to the streets to protest LVMH subsidiary Celine having a runway show at the Wiltern. Both LVMH and Celine sell fur of wild animals including but not limited to mink and foxes. Shortly after the protest started, security guards tried to push a young woman to the floor. When another activist defended the woman they were also met with violence by security.
We are appalled that this is the way that Celine, LVMH and the Wiltern deal with protesters, they should be ashamed.
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade 