An animal rights poster showing "Baywatch" actress Pamela Anderson in a bikini with her body parts marked as pieces of meat has been banned by authorities in Montreal.
The ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says: "All animals have the same parts. Have a heart. Go vegetarian."
The Montreal Film and TV Commission has refused permission to PETA to stage the poster unveiling event in the city's busy Place Jacques-Cartier. "I have to inform you that we, as public officials representing a municipal government, cannot endorse this image of Ms. Anderson," a spokesperson for the commission said.
"It is not so much controversial as it goes against all principles public organisations are fighting for in the everlasting battle of equality between men and women," he said.
The Canadian-born Anderson, an ardent supporter of animal rights, who is in Montreal to unveil the poster Thursday, said the behaviour of city authorities was "puritanical".
"In a city that is known for its exotic dancing and for being progressive and edgy, how sad that a woman would be banned from using her own body in a political protest over the suffering of cows and chickens," she said.
PETA has now decided to hold the poster launch function in a restaurant which needs no permit from the authorities.
"In this sexy ad for PETA, the blonde bombshell shows some serious skin and looks as if she's been tagged by a butcher, making it clear that humans and animals are composed of identical parts. In the ad, Pamela Anderson shows off her outer-and inner-beauty to promote a vegetarian diet and point out the similarities between humans and animals," said the animal rights group.
Defending the poster, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said: "Your body is something you should be able to use for anything that's not harmful to anyone else.
"This is not harmful to anyone else. It's in fact intended to stop harm to what Pam calls 'sisters under the skin', which are the most exploited animals in the meat business - the females."
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