The City Hall of Antwerp is the location chosen by Flemish artist Jan Fabre to film live cats being thrown into the air. Antwerp’s city fathers are naturally upset as the cats had to suffer a hard landing on the stairs of City Hall.
It has now emerged that Jan Fabre, an artist who enjoys the patronage of Queen Paola, has fresh plans to film more live animals including tortoises, dogs, pigs, falcons and vultures in the city.
For Jan Fabre, cat throwing is just part of the creation of a movie ‘Dr. Fabre will cure you’ and he has asserted that “The cats didn’t get injured. They are very happy.”
Regards Productions, the French production company behind the film, has obtained permission from the city authorities against the wishes of the city’s animal welfare department.
The city authorities say that a total ban is not needed, but are insisting that a vet should be present during the shoot.
Michel Vandenbosch of the animal welfare organisation GAIA says that Fabre and his ‘acolytes’ are now being rewarded after their scandalous maltreatment of cats in City Hall.
The film crew has informed the police that shooting will only occur in private and not on the public highway and this to avoid interference.
