(Editor’s Note: In the February edition, our fashion columnist wrote about “Greek Furs: Making a Fashion Statement.” This column was a plain statement of fact regarding this country’s legal fur industry and its retail outlets in Crete, and was in no way an endorsement of furs. However, we received many letters and phone calls from readers objecting to such a column. This newspaper respects the rights of all people – those making and selling furs, as well as those opposed to it, and we will provide a platform for both sides.)  

I do not know the person writing the fashion column or their background and ideas. However, I do know that moral concepts, such as empathy and being humane, should come before journalism and writing a good article.

Fur is not only unnecessary (due to alternatives which provide just as much warmth), but it is also cruel.

Cruel in the farming conditions and cruel in the killing methods (electrocution via tongue and anus, injection of insecticide into the heart, suffocation, gassing etc) - that is, when the animals are actually killed before being skinned.

I would like to know whether the columnist has pets, has seen undercover footage of fur farming and if she/he considers him/herself to have any ethical values.

Furthermore, I find it appalling that Greece, already notorious within the animal welfare world, is honoured in this article for being in the forefront of fur fashions once again.

We are close to banning circuses with animals in Greece. That is something to be proud of. That is something which hardly any other EU countries have yet done.

An increase in the Greek fur trade when many other EU countries are condemning it is not something which makes me proud of being Greek.
I have spent much of my time with youngsters and I can say with certainty that compassion and awareness is rising.

Before fashion enters one's mind as a concept, before status and riches blur one's ideas, in other words, when you were children, you would have considered it barbaric to abuse animals to boost your ego.
It is a shame that we must reach such a low level of principles, corrupted by everything around us.

I'm very disappointed in this article and I hope that in the future, more research will be carried out on such topics, for I am sure, if there had been enough research done into the fur issue, you would have decided against including it.