Local officials prevent festival fight over dogs

A dog to be slaughtered in a cage at a dog market in Yulin, Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on June 19, 2015. [Photo/CFP]

The annual litchi and dog meat festival, a commercial activity on the day of summer solstice promoted by local restaurants in Yulin in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, met tremendous opposition from the animal rights activists, who claim eating dog meat is a bad custom and urge the local authority to ban the festival, which was started in the 1990s. The local government, however, says it has no legal foundation to interfere with the commercial activity. Comments:

It is good to see that the confrontation between dog meat eaters and dog lovers in Yulin this year is more rational than in previous years. They have chosen to communicate with each other, rather than physically confront or verbally abuse each other in the street. That the dog meat festival has evolved from a farce to a serious drama shows conflicts between different values are unavoidable, and people need to make some compromises to create an atmosphere conducive to reaching an agreement.

China Youth Daily, June 24

The conciliatory atmosphere of the dog meat festival this year let the two sides realize that mutual understanding and respect are the prerequisites for constructive communication. The dog lovers know it will take time for the local custom to end, and the dog meat eaters know the dogs' suffering must be minimized.

Legal Daily, June 24

The local authority made progress this year by strengthening public security to avoid direct conflicts between the dog lovers and dog meat eaters, as well as conducting inspections to guarantee food safety. The government's attitude contributed to the rational communication between the two sides. What the government has done shows its understanding of its legal duties and the limits to its powers.

Guangming Daily, June 24.