PETA Blasts One Direction Over ‘Steal My Girl’ Video

Animals rights activist group PETA have taken out a full-page advertisement in a leading Hollywood magazine in a bid to shame boyband One Direction into banning the use of primates in their promos.

The hitmakers came under fire for featuring a chimpanzee in the music video for their new track, “Steal My Girl”, and representatives from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent each member a letter urging them to cut the scenes.

Now the campaign group is stepping up its efforts by taking out a huge advert in next week’s issue of The Hollywood Reporter detailing the problems of using animals in the entertainment industry.

The advert features a photograph of a cowering monkey with the words, “No animals were harmed? Really One Direction?” emblazoned across the spread.

Yvonne Taylor, a spokeswoman for PETA, says in a statement, “(The advert) reminds Hollywood what it won’t see on set – that baby apes are torn away from their mothers at birth, abused during training and then discarded at decrepit facilities. It’s up to producers, directors and performers to protect wild animals by refusing to work with them, full stop.”

You can watch the controversial video, and PETA’s ad in response, below:

Photo Credit:PETA/Youtube