Paul McCartney boycotts China

Not that we needed another reason to hold Paul McCartney in high esteem, but the former Beatle is putting his foot down to raise awareness of animal abuse in China.

Sir Paul has announced he will not visit or perform in China--even for the Olympics--after seeing horrific undercover footage of dogs and cats being killed for their fur.

According to BBC news, Sir Paul and his wife Heather looked aghast and close to tears as they watched the footage for a special report for the BBC's Six O'clock News to be screened on Monday.

"This is barbaric. Horrific," said Sir Paul. "I wouldn't even dream of going over there to play, in the same way I wouldn't go to a country that supported apartheid. This is just disgusting. It's just against every rule of humanity. I couldn't go there."

Heather McCartney, herself a vociferous animal rights campaigner added: "People in every other country in the world should now boycott Chinese goods."

You can learn more on the BBC site about the accusations against China and about Sir Paul's and Heather's reaction to the video, but be warned: some of the descriptions of what is on the video are disturbing.