When Pharrell Williams was criticized by a group of animal rights protesters, he offered them a simple solution.
The protest took place on Thursday, November 14 outside GQ Men of the Year Party at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, California. Williams, the men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, was greeted by a series of animal rights protesters.
“What kind of people still use fur?” one of the challengers shouted at him.
The “Happy” singer then responded with her own answer.
“I don’t. God bless you,” Williams said.
Protesters criticized him for continuing to hold up a sign showing the impact of fur use on animals. While Williams tried to quell the situation with a peaceful resolution, he attempted to hug protesters.
Ultimately, he was turned away by the protester, who appeared angry that Williams had attempted to do so.
“F**k no! You’re an animal abuser,” the protester said.
After being denied a hug, Williams continued to repeat “God bless you” while protesters repeatedly scolded him for his alleged use of fur. That’s when security showed up and got Williams out of the escalating situation. He was put into the car while repeating, “God bless you.”
This isn’t the first time Williams has faced backlash from animal rights activists. At last month’s London screening of ‘Piece By Piece’, his LEGO biopic, PETA protesters disrupted the event by unfurling a banner that read: “Pharrell: Stop supporting supports the killing of animals for fashion.”
“Stop the torture, stop the pain, LVMH, you are responsible,” protesters shouted at him.
They also chanted: “Animals want to live – just like us” and “Animals are not fabric, they are not handbags… Fashion is violence”.
At the time, Williams made a similar point, saying “God bless you” to those protesters.
“God bless you. Rome wasn’t built in a day and the changes they saw, they didn’t happen overnight. It took a lot of planning and we’re dealing with those,” he said. “They wanted to be heard so we heard them.”
Tags Pharrell, Pharrell Williams