Leader calls on UK Government for help over banning barbaric dog festival in Chinese province of Guangxi
Posted on Tuesday 23rd July 2019
The Leader of Newport City Council tonight won support for a motion calling on the UK Government to help the council put a stop to a barbaric festival taking place in the Guangxi Province.
A motion put forward at the full council meeting by Leader Councillor Debbie Wilcox called on the UK Government to help Newport City Council in its bid to get the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in the Guangxi Provice stopped.
This followed a total lack of response from the Guangxi Province to the letter sent on 19 February 2019 from the council urging them to stop the Festival and its horrendous treatment of animals.
The Leader said the council is calling upon the UK Government to present the city’s case via both the Great Britain-China Centre, a non-departmental public body established by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1974, together with the Foreign Office, to make direct representations from both bodies to the Government of the People’s Republic of China about the ending of this appalling festival and to relay their response to Newport City Council.
Cllr Wilcox said she believes this action will focus wider attention upon this issue as the twinning arrangement with Guangxi is now defunct by default of non-engagement for many years and all references to it have already been removed from the council’s website. The Leader also pledged to remove all twinning references to Guangxi from signs in the city.
The motion was an amendment to that put forward by Councillor Matthew Evans also condemning the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and calling for the twinning arrangement to cease.