Germany gets Help by David Levy

[Skadisha]

During a protest-demonstration against the new decree in the state of Hessen, that bans Pitbull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier and Am. Staffordshire, David Levy from the British Staffordshire Bullterrier Club hold the following remarkable speech, that I found to be worth to publish here:

Speech given by David Levy at Wiesbaden.

Wiesbaden Saturday 9th September, 2000

I would like to begin by thanking the organisers of today's demonstration
for allowing me to express my views on the current anti-dog situation across
Europe. Media pressure and ambitious politicians may currently be succeeding
in distorting public opinion against dogs and dog owners in Germany but most
of the rest of the world is reporting the ridiculous excesses being
perpetrated here in very critical terms. I should perhaps stress for the
benefit of Mr Bouffier I have never been accused of any criminal offence and
as a Jew, I am hardly a typical candidate for the neo-Nazi party.

I do not condemn any breed of dog and I oppose breed specific legislation
wherever it occurs. This has been the official policy of the Staffordshire
Bull Terrier Breed Council for over 10 years

Britain has an estimated pet dog population of over 6.5 million. It is
important to understand that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the 9th most
popular breed in the UK with an estimated half a million owners. These
include many famous sportsmen (Michael Owen the footballer and Lennox Lewis
world heavyweight boxing champion), pop idols (Ringo Starr the ex-Beatle)
and even senior politicians (Roy Hattersley, former Deputy leader of the
Labour party). They all own Staffords or Stafford crosses and can hardly be
described as the type of people who would risk being associated with owning
"dangerous breeds".

I am quite sure that many other breeds affected by Herr Schily's folly can
claim similar well known fans including the Bull Terrier, a breed owned by
Princess Anne, the Queen's daughter. I am surprised that Herr Bouffier feels
competent to condemn her breed. I understand that several of Manchester
United's top players own Ferrari motor cars and Rottweiler dogs.

Many UK newspapers, radio and television have reported the statements of
Herr Schily and Herr Bouffier. Perhaps these men believe they are becoming
heroes through their actions against dogs and dog owners but in practice,
mainstream media such as The Daily Telegraph and the BBC have denounced
their efforts. Many regional British newspapers and radio stations have
carried critical articles about the nonsense being perpetrated by the German
political establishment. The summer months are sometimes described in news
terms as "the silly season" and the actions of these men are viewed in
Britain as typical of this phenomenon.

As well as being a very prominent pro-Europe politician, Roy Hattersley
wrote in The Guardian Newspaper, about the situation in Germany. His column
on Monday 28th August included the following. "The Hamburg senate has called
for the elimination of fighting dogs and, being as ignorant as it is
callous, included Staffordshire bull terriers in its list of proscribed
breeds."

Referring to the threat from Herr Schily's to extend this legislation across
Europe, Mr Hattersley commented on the possible threat to his own beloved
Buster (a Stafford GSD cross) if the UK Government wanted to comply. "There
are a quarter-of-a-million Staffordshire bull terrier owners in Britain. Add
to that total the households that are home to English bull terriers, bull
mastiffs and mongrels like mine, and the dog lobby represents too large and
loud a pressure group for this government to ignore."

There are many serious threats to the population of Germany including cars,
guns and drugs. It is the very rarity of serious dog attack that make them
newsworthy. This can and does distort the view of public and politician
about our breeds. Over the past 2 months our efforts in the UK have been
targeted at encouraging Members of Parliament, members of the European
Parliament and establishment organisations to protest to their German
counterparts against the proposed laws. The Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), British Veterinary Association, National
Canine Defence League, Kennel Club and many others have responded very
positively.

The British Home Office has now made very clear that it has absolutely no
intention of accepting any European extension of our own Dangerous Dogs Act.
The UK Act is in itself breed specific and it is our hope that we may one
day be able to persuade the UK Government to consider better laws aimed
specifically at careless and criminal owners rather than breeds of dog.

A recent letter from European Commissioner David Byrne has made quite clear
that until harmonisation is practical across the European Community each
member State will remain responsible for its own laws, but his closing
sentence made a telling point. "Member States shall endeavour not to adopt
measures that would exceed what is strictly necessary to cope with the
actual threat caused by these dogs".

I understand that many Germans share the British dislike for European
imposed laws but I do believe that Commissioner Byrne's comments carry a
particular warning to Herr Schily, Herr Bouffier and anyone else intent on
banning dogs without factual evidence of any real danger.

If we are to defeat the spread of hysterical breed specific legislation it
is becoming increasingly clear that someone has to prepare a valid
alternative. The Dangerous Dogs Reform Group which consists of most of the
UK's animal welfare organisations, politicians and legal experts has begun
to consider drafting such legislation to be based substantially on the
examples obtained from the American Kennel Club.

Several European countries have identified specific items in their own
legislation that I believe could also be incorporated. In this category I
would include Italy's regulations forcing vets to report fighting scars and
Germany's ban on convicted criminals owning dogs. I am quite sure that
whatever is eventually drafted will be made available to all appropriate
interested parties across Europe for comment in order to maximise the
acceptance of the eventual offering and amongst these I include the several
German dog clubs represented here today.

This initiative could lead us all to an ideal situation resulting in the
legislative harmonisation craved by the politicians, protecting the public
from the real danger of bad owners and removing the unfair and unjustifiable
banning of whole breeds. Whether this succeeds will depend on the goodwill
of all the politicians and organisations involved and we must strive to
create an environment in which we can work together towards that end.

I came to Germany primarily to assure you of the continuing support of
British dog owners and to demonstrate our commitment to your cause.

Germany in the 21st century is one of the leading democracies in the world
and I am convinced that eventually the German public will recognise the
necessity to treat all people fairly. These draconian laws will be repealed
and proper reforms will provide an infrastructure that justly and equally
protects dogs, dog owners and the general public right across Europe.

David Levy
KC Liaison Officer for SBT

[Troy]

Eloquent and firm!!! Hopefully more people will listen and understand.

[shadowrottie]

Damn good speech. Passing it on to friends right now in hopes that sometime soon, everyone will have read it.