On 16 October 2019 we gathered at the Royal Courts of Justice to protest against the antiques trade’s last-ditch attempt to derail the new ivory ban passed in 2018. The trade was calling for a Judicial Review to challenge the legality of the act. Once again this small but influential lobby marshalled all its resources to fight the ban, even creating a new company of dealers and collectors called the Friends of Antique Cultural Treasures Ltd (FACT) to bring its lawsuit against the government. The challenge was quashed, as was the trade’s second challenge the following year.
Event supporters included Animal Defenders International, Born Free Foundation, EIA, Four Paws, Humane Society International, IFAW, Jane Goodall Institute, Olsen Trust, Stop Ivory, Two Million Tusks, and Zimbabwe Elephant Foundation, along with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Stanley Johnson. Reports in the press on the High Court challenge included:
Antique dealers fight to reverse UK’s new ban on ivory trade in defence of ‘freedom to enjoy personal property’ The Independent
Stop trading antiques and stop poaching The Independent
Antique dealers attempt to reverse ivory trading ban The Times