Fur Coats in Berlin?

Did your friend also say why or where she got this information? Who told her this?

Wearing fur is considered a heartless thing to do, so someone may throw paint on you or harass you, but there are no laws in Germany that say you can't wear it. There are still fur stores here, you can buy coats with fur on them in dept. stores, so your friends comment must be coming from some personal level or rumor. Perhaps the PETA demonstrations got to her.

Watch some youtube videos of fur farms and see if you still want to wear a fur coat.

Except for an extreme case of survival, no one should ever wear real fur. Anywhere. Ever. It's disgusting.

How about leather?

Berlin is a pretty left-wing city and Germany has one of the strongest Green parties in the world. I would avoid wearing real fur, yes.

So it's okay to wear shorts, capris, and white tennis shoes in Europe but not fur????? It's your vacation wear whatever makes you comfortable.

Michael, you have missed the point of the other replies. they are telling her that she will NOT be comfortable if she wears fur in Berlin.

It seems to me that most are saying not to wear fur because they are morally opposed instead of perception of the locals.

In any event, in the words of Fernando: It's better to look good than to feel good!

What about rattlesnake hatbands?

"...no one's likely to get paint thrown at them for wearing shorts,
tees, and running shoes..."

Well they should! Leather also comes from a slaughtered animal, shorts are likely made from synthetic petroleum based fabric which contribute to global warming, and the tees/shoes are made in a sweatshop in the third-world with child labor. Pick your poison. Unless one is prepared to wear hemp everything, you're going to offend some activist with whatever you wear. You might as well do it in style.

Back in March I wore my rabbit fur Bomber Hat in Budapest and London, the locals didn't chase me down the street with pitch forks.

Last time we were in Munich in the Winter, my wife was wearing a very nice mink coat. We were walking down the Mall in front of city hall, and there were a bunch of people with displays hanging around. When I saw a rabbit in a cage with a spike through its head, I grabbed my wife and escorted her outta there. We had run up on an animal rights demonstration.
They can get pretty serious in some places about wearing fur coats. And they will throw blood on fur coats.
I'd suggest just getting a really heavy down coat to travel in.

Oh, did I step on toes there? Some poor goose and duck gives their lives for those coats.
And who says birds don't have feelings and rights?

Hi,

If you are concerned about the reactions of the locals in Berlin and how you will be perceived or treated, then don't do it. Now, if all that makes no difference at all to you and you couldn't care what the locals feel about wearing fur, then do it.

I wonder how PETA would react if they saw other foreign tourists wearing fur other than Americans, such as those from Asia or Russia.

I personally don't like the idea of wearing fur, but I wouldn't advise someone not to wear it because of my moral views. And I do have some leather shoes, so I recognize the hypocrisy. Personal opinion only, whatever people choose to wear is their business.

However, I would advise against wearing anything that would likely make your trip more unpleasant. It sounds as though the level of protest is strong in Berlin, so wearing it may be more trouble than it's worth. And there seems to be a risk of getting your coat damaged by paint/blood. I assume fur coats aren't cheap, so this is something to consider.

So you CAN wear it if you want, there's no law, and it is your right. However, just because you can doesn't mean you should, simply for your own enjoyment.

I'm a bit confused. In November 19, 2012 PETA Germany staged a demonstration that involved paint smeared furs (property of the protesters) before the parliament to lobby for a specific legislation (a proposed ban on keeping animals solely for their furs, wasn't even discussed in parliament), and now Berlin is some kind of PETA hot-bed where people throw paint at unsuspecting tourists?

Berlin isn't a monolith -- among Wilmersdorf widows wearing furs is probably a positive thing, among Kreuzberg hippies not so much. But nobody will give a bleep if a random tourist wears one, let alone confront them or commit a felony out of the blue.

If one is morally opposed to wearing fur, that's fine, but if they take it further and wish to tell others how to live, then I hope they don’t eat, wear, or use any animal parts themselves, ever. If one wishes to wear fur in Berlin, she should do so with zest! And if one is assaulted when wearing fur, I hope she calls the police!

George: Go to Toronto, and check out all of those super expensive and trendy Canada Goose coats. They all have fur-lined hoods! Why fur? It protects better than synthetic. You guys definitely wear fur in Canada.

"...no one other than Torontonians ever wants to go to Toronto..."

Unless maybe they have an indie band and want to play the best clubs or get a record deal, or they are an actor/actress. :)

At any rate, you would know better than me, George. While I’ve spent a lot of time in Toronto over the last three years, I’m certainly not a native. Still, I do know that you will see a lot of the $700 parka-style Canada Goose jackets (with fur) on the street…all around U of T, Eaton Centre (I hope Keith from the UK has noticed my “correct” spelling of center), Bloor, Yorkville, or just any other place where there are lots of people with extra money. I really wanted to get one this year, but I just can’t spend that kind of cash on a coat. I had to settle for a Superdry parka (with fur) at about 1/3 the price.

I wonder if anyone wears Canada Goose (with fur) in Berlin.

Sounds like Canada Geese have become golden geese?
Right now I have a couple of hundred Canada geese at the lake behind my home. I've been having to avoid a lot of you-know-what when I walk around. Who knew thy had become such a valuable commodity? I'll have to stop whining about their by-products, and maybe buy a parka pattern and sewing machine??

This is a non-issue, period. You can wear whatever you want and feel comfortable with.