Greenland’s Foreign Minister, Josef Motzfeldt has announced that Greenland in conjunction with
Denmark have set up a task force to fight the January 25 Belgian decision to ban seal products. Motzfeldt said he will ask the European Commission to take
legal action against Belgium for violating the law of the internal market.
Motzfeldt went on to say, "Belgian politicians are afraid of strong animal welfare activists and
fanatics, and that will harm an innocent country,". He also said it wouldn't help if seal pelts from
Greenland were made exempt from the Belgian ban because the market could disappear. In this he, at
the very least, realizes what the Inuit realize which is that a ban of any form will adversely
affect them no matter if they are exempt or not.
The ban of 1983 had devestating effects on Inuit communities including increased alcholism, suicide and many other
negative effects.
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