Animal rights activists strip naked in anti-fur protest in Barcelona

'How many lives just for one coat?'

(AFP/Getty )

Dozens of demonstrators stripped naked in a busy square in Barcelona on Sunday to protest the use of fur and leather in consumer goods.

The activists lay down in Plaça de Catalunya covered in fake blood, with one holding a sign reading “How many lives just for one coat?” in Spanish.

The protest was organised by Anima Naturalis, the international non-profit working to defend animal rights in Spain and Latin America.

In photographs, protestors can be seen lying on top of one another in the popular tourist destination; they appear to be laying motionless as if to resemble dead or dying animals.

According to PETA, more than 85 per cent of fur sold around the world comes from farm facilities where foxes, minks and other animals are locked in cages for their entire lives before being killed and skinned.

(AFP/Getty ) (AFP/Getty)

Fur farming was made illegal in the UK in 2000 but still occurs in Europe and across the rest of the world.

The leather industry is also constantly under scrutiny from animal rights campaigners, with PETA estimating that more than one billion animals are killed worldwide so their skins can be turned into leather clothes and accessories.

(AFP/Getty ) (AFP/Getty)

In recent years, many major fashion brands have abolished the use of fur and animal skins in their collections and this September marked the first time London Fashion Week featured no real fur on its runways.

Armani, Coach, Versace, Michael Kors, Gucci and Burberry are just some of the luxury labels that have recently gone fur-free.

Chanel joined the lineup earlier this month when it announced it would be banning fur and exotic animal skins, such as crocodile, lizard and snake skins, in a bid to adopt a more cruelty-free approach to fashion.

“There’s nothing trendy about using stolen skins from tormented animals for clothing or accessories,” PETA said in a statement responding to the news.

“It’s clear that the time is now for all companies, like Louis Vuitton, to follow Chanel’s lead and move to innovative materials that spare countless animals a miserable life and a violent, painful death.”