Old school AR tactics work, say vivisection industry!

Some USA activists have got the right idea.

An article in the Guardian about 2 activists convicted of peaceful protest and free expression reveal some interesting admissions from those inside the vivisection industry – old school animal rights tactics work! While many peoples response will be 'no shit', it is a point worth re-emphasising as the movement becomes increasingly pacifistic in the UK.

The Guardian reports that “In 1981 there were 34 companies breeding laboratory animals. Today there are just three because of activists' intimidation of staff and of companies supplying services and products to laboratories.”

This is confirmed by Andy Cunningham, a Harlan manager who admits "Part of the overall reduction in company numbers has involved consolidation of businesses, but there is no doubt that intimidation has led to the closure of many other companies,"

Replace 'intimidation' with 'robust protest' and they are totally right! The animal rights movement has the formula for success. While we must adapt to the changing legal framework we must not abandon the time tested methodology.

We must focus our energy and get back to old school animal rights. But focus on what? Professor Roger Morris, head of bioscience at King's College London gives us a clue “We are now down to our last three major breeders in the UK. We can manage with that, but if we lose another we will be in a very uncomfortable situation.”

Bold Native: The Movie: An Activist's Perspective

Bold Native Movie Review

If you haven't heard the buzz about Bold Native yet you must have been living under a rock! But just in case there is someone out there that hasn't heard about it yet here's the scoop. Bold Native is a ground breaking feature film about the brave men and women of the underground animal liberation movement known as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). This is the first professional fictionalised film regarding this subject matter and it is amazing!

The film's plot, acting and cinematic quality rival anything put out by a big budget Hollywood film company despite being produced on a shoe string. The film is powerful, deep and extraordinarily entertaining. You really don't need to have any interest in animal rights to enjoy this work of  cinematic art.  

The movie follows a wanted activist (the FBI had labelled a 'domestic terrorist') on a mission to pull off a nationwide coordinated action. His father after discovering his son is a 'terrorist' gives chase as well wanting to get to his son before the FBI does.   

The film looks at all aspects of the animal protection movement. Reformists looking to improve animal 'welfare' via lobbying, the animal liberationists who fight for the rights of animals using illegal means but never use violence against humans and even an activist that thinks violence is part of the solution.

My one criticism of the film would be the way it approached the argument regarding the use of violence. In the film an activist uses what amounts to torture and violence in a way purely to punish an animal abuser. This is clearly wrong and if that was the argument for the use of violence I doubt there would be any serious animal rights proponents of it.

The problem is that the main violence proponents within animal rights do not advocate such use of violence they advocate force to be used proportionately and only to the minimum extent necessary to stop the abuse. I think if the issue of whether violence is ever acceptable is to be taken on it should be done in a way that reflects the actual debate i.e. Is it OK to use the minimum amount of violent force necessary to actually stop abuse?          

Also the complete lack of security culture did leave me shouting at the screen and almost willing the liberationists to get caught! However that is more of a nerdy activist thing and I see why the film makers might have avoided such details to ensure the film was entertaining to the widest possible audience.   

However overall an amazing, exciting film that anyone regardless of their view on animals can enjoy. If you haven't seen it yet, no matter who you are, you must – you'll love it. Guaranteed!

To order a copy of the movie head over to http://boldnative.com/ To watch Bold Native online you can also download it from Itunes.

The SHAC Trial - Political Sentences Are Good for You

The second group of SHAC defendants have been sentenced. Once again a small group were held accountable for everything that has ever happened to Huntingdon Life Sciences and it's associates – I think others can articulate what a sham of a show trial it was. That isn't the point of this article.

My point is simple, while distressing for those involved, the fact politicised sentencing is necessary is a sign of our effectiveness. If any one thinks multi-billion pound industries and the governments they control are going to let ordinary people tell them what to do  they are deluding themselves! No matter what tactics you use if you are actually effecting them they will be trying to stop you by whatever means necessary.

It is not the nature of the tactics the state objects to it is the fact they work. It is the fact they are aimed at billionaires and their companies that pay the Lib/Lab/Con election campaign funds. It is the fact the these multinationals actually take the threat posed by SHAC seriously.   

As a movement we need to be proud of the fact that we are considered such a threat that mere involvement in a animal rights campaign can lead to sentences longer that those given to murderers! Because if we are going to win then we will have to fight them and they play nasty. It's when animal activists stop getting political sentences we need to worry!

Media Lies are Good for You!

The media is of course now full of nonsense about how every action ever done in the name of SHAC is the fault of the defendants (even if they were children at the time of these actions and many haven't even been proven). But even if the lies were true – who cares? I'm not saying I condone every one of those actions but all of them pale into insignificance when compared to puppies being punched in the face, being  poisoned in the name of sweetener, having pipes shoved down their necks and being mutilated.

Anyone that says the actions of animal activists so far have made them 'as bad' as the animal abusers are seriously twisted. I seriously don't see the equivalence.

When have you ever heard of an SHAC campaigner feeding a group of HLS workers a toxic chemical until 50% of them slowly and painfully died? When have you ever heard of a animal rights activist keeping an animal abuser in a cage and torturing them to their slow painful death? The fact is the extremists are all on one side – HLS's side!

So I say let the media do our work for us! Let them make companies think we are all 'terrorists' and therefore back down all the quicker. Let the media lies fuel the fire and move us closer to a day when all animals are free.

Now is not the time to lose heart. The battle has only just begun and they have just begun to start fighting us – things are not going to be easy. But for every last animal locked inside that hellhole there is only one single option open to us we must fight and we must win!   

Love, Light and Liberation for All. Human and Non-Human! 

For Sarah Whitehead, Nicole Vosper, Tom Harris, Jason Mullen, Nicci Tapping, Alfie Fitzpatrick all jailed for the crime of being good people!