The Agonist Singer Says, 'Bang Your Own Head, Not a Seal's'

Alissa White-Gluz Targets Canadian Seal Slaughter in peta2 Ad

For Immediate Release:
March 24, 2011

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382 

Los Angeles — Alissa White-Gluz—known as the powerful voice of Québécois metal band The Agonist—has joined with peta2, the world's largest youth animal rights organization, for a brand-new ad opposing Canada's annual seal slaughter. The ad shows White-Gluz above a photo of a baby seal who is about to be clubbed and reads, "Bang Your Own Head, Not a Seal's."

"The seal hunt is something I'm … so ashamed to even be remotely associated with," says the Montréal-born vocalist in an exclusive interview with peta2. "I'm shocked that it's still going on and still encouraged by the government."

During the slaughter, tens of thousands of baby seals have their heads bashed in or are shot. Sealers hook baby seals in the eyes, cheeks, or mouth and drag them across the ice, often while the animals are still conscious. Of the approximately 300,000 harp seals who were expected to be killed last year, more than three-fourths were spared, in part because the price of seal fur has plummeted as the international outrage against the seal slaughter has risen. The European Union and the U.S. have banned seal products, and many world leaders—including Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin—have spoken out against the massacre.

White-Gluz, a vegan, also speaks out against the "greenwashing" of the fur industry and encourages everyone to buy only cruelty-free personal-care products. She joins a growing list of artists—including The Dillinger Escape Plan, Animal Collective, The Sounds, Joel Gibb, and Peaches—who have joined with peta2 to speak out against the seal slaughter.

For more information and to see the ad, please visit peta2.com.