Harp Seals Song Censored By YouTube

Dear Chad Hurley,

We the undersigned believe Song for Canada's Harp Seals, a nonprofit song protesting the annual Canadian harp seal hunt, has been a powerful tool in spreading the word about the hunt's cruelty and brutality -- over a million baby seals have been slaughtered in the last few years. Since May 2007, the Song has brought its important message to thousands of people worldwide, and we are grateful that YouTube, which has become a major force in disseminating information, has been instrumental in that effort.

We are dismayed that, Song for Canada's Harp Seals was flagged by YouTube as inappropriate for some users, which blocks access to the Song except to YouTube members. Song for Canada's Harp Seals is a professionally recorded production with performances by committed artists who donated their time and talent to this cause. Accompanying the music is a slide show depicting mostly awe-inspiring scenes of harp seals on the spectacular Canadian ice floes. A few photographs give only a hint of the horrific nature of the hunt and are tame compared to the many videos readily available on the internet showing the actual killing of seals.

Given the Canadian government's attempts to open up new markets in China to compensate for the ban on seal products in the European Union, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Belarus, it is essential that information about the hunt not be suppressed. Please unflag Song for Canada's Harp Seals and let its compelling message be fully accessible to the public. Getting the facts out is the only way the killing will end.