Marianne Thieme shares secret behind Party for the Animals’ success in Stockholm

On 14 April, Marianne Thieme, founder of the Dutch Party for the Animals, gave a lecture in the Playhouse Teater in Stockholm on the party’s successful role as an advocate for animal rights, nature and environment. The party currently has 5 seats in the national parliament and enjoyed a dramatic growth in last March’s municipal elections. Worldwide, eighteen sister parties of the Party for the Animals are currently active. The lecture was organised in cooperation with Swedish sister party Djurens parti.

Party leader Thieme talked about her party’s role in encouraging the debate on animal rights in the Netherlands as well as abroad. She also discussed the importance of influencing political decision-making as a necessary tool to improve the position of animals, nature and the environment.

In September, parliamentary and municipal elections will be held in Sweden. With her lecture, Thieme hoped to inspire the Swedes to think about the necessity of a new kind of politics. A politics in which the focus is no longer on the interests of man, but on those of the planet and all its inhabitants.

Someone who also stood up for animals, was world-famous Swedish author Astrid Lingren. She was known for passionately protecting the weak from the strong, for example by opposing the fast-growing livestock industry and fighting for a respectful treatment of animals. In Thieme’s opinion, Sweden can use Lindgren as an example to make an important step towards a society that no longer puts short-term economic interests first, but that is guided by compassion and sustainability.

In September, Swedish sister party Djurens parti will take part in the national and municipal elections. Marianne Thieme: “Problems concerning the way we treat animals are not confined to national borders. In order to bring about positive change for animals, it is important that we work together across borders with animal rights campaigners from all over the world.”

International movement

The establishment of the Party for the Animals has led to a growing global movement committed to the cross-border interests of animals, nature and the environment in politics. There are now 19 like-minded political parties and this number continues to grow.