World Day for Animals in Laboratories 2011

All pics shamelessly nicked from

Matthew Orlinski

A New (Old) Militant Spirit At World Day for Lab Animals 2011!

World Day for Animals in Laboratories has long been a compliant A to B march a long way from the militant spirit displayed at the World Days of old. In the 'old days' (and I am actually only talking a few years ago) there was always a spirit of non-compliance and resistance. This spirit fed the movements energy and manifested itself in a movement that was ready for action and ready to be effective.

While resistance on an A to B march is not as effective as covert direct action it feeds an attitude that allows other resistance to take place but also is an effective tool as part of a diversity of tactics.    

This year in Manchester we began to see a return to this spirit from the young, fresh progressive faces within the movement. Although not everything attempted was successful the spirit is something we need to build on, not just at World Day but through out the movement if we are ever to return to the level of effectiveness we had prior to the SHAC trials. There are a number of groups that are pushing forward in this regard including recent SHAC actions and the campaigns against importing animals for experiments.

The first act of mild resistance on the march was an impromptu protest outside a Manchester lab building which saw marchers crossing the road away from the agreed route. While this may seem like nothing it is a mental barrier of authoritarianism being lifted slightly and moves the protest back into the control of the participant, away from authoritarian sterility.     

The second action was securing the safety and release of an activist who was attacked by security and detained by police. A reasonable sized group assisted with this and this is the minimum any activist should expect in terms of solidarity from other activists. The activist thanked everyone for their assistance at the end of the march, but there was no need at all. The only regret is that more did not assist.     

The next bit of creative, independent thinking was when a sit down protest was attempted by some activists and although this was short lived is exactly the type of autonomy we need to see.

Evidence gatherers attempted to film and photograph the sit down but were unable to do so effectively due to activists employing FITwatch tactics. After the sit down was over three activists  then continued the FITwatch action that eventually led to the removal of police evidence gatherers from the march.

There was also a protest against fur (in the middle of in all) at Armani, now that is creative thinking at its best! We should all think about how we can use A to B marches more effectively and not wait for others' instructions.

This is a significant step forward towards the non-compliant World Days of old and a move back to the days of an effective anti-authoritarian movement where the words 'there are no leaders' actually means something! Well done to all involved!

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!

US Comrade Proclaims: “Don’t ask, ‘How can I not be labeled a terrorist?’ Ask, ‘How can I be a threat?’”

Will Potter on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act from Press Action on Vimeo.

I just watched a video from our comrades in the USA. The sound is crap on this clip but well worth the strain on your eardrums. Will Potter of GreenistheNewRed.com has hit the nail on the head with this one – it's time to stop worrying about the perceptions of our actions and get back to being a threat to the animal abuse industries.

The time for worrying and wondering have past, we have had time to get over the extraordinary  new levels of repression. We are all now required to get up and act – in whatever way we individually feel is best.  

Whatever your thing is; leafleting, marches or direct action - we must stand united as one body against the abuse. If we fight each other the animals lose.  Let's stick together, support each other and show NETCU there is no way to stop the 'animal rights nutters' in the UK!

Why it's time to start loving state repression!

Warning Contains Ranting...  

Many people have blamed certain tactics for attracting state repression. Well yes they did and it's a good thing too! The reason tactics attract repression is they are effective. If they don't work Ians Skivens' and Superintendent Pearl's bosses really are not that bothered! The fact the animal rights movement has been so heavily repressed over recent years is a badge of honour that should be worn with pride.

We all know from experience that the type of police response you get on demos varies between targets (regardless of tactics) because the state is choosing to protect the target. It has nothing to do with upholding the law – the police will routinely break the law themselves to protect these institutions.

We must understand that it is not the type of tactics used, but their effect, that creates the overall response. Fans of legalism should look at the case of the Austrian animal activists locked up because their lawful campaign was being to effective!

If the entire movement escapes repression then it escapes all victories that are a challenge to the authority of corporate interests as well! It is time we started to love state repression because as it gets worse we know we are getting closer to effecting change. The more repressive measures we face head on the closer we are to an end to the cruelty and abuse the animals face on a daily basis.

The last thing we need to do now is to become intimidated by the repression or modify our tactics in a way that does not reflect what we have seen to be successful. The movement in the UK has inspired the animal rights movement worldwide but the battle is not won, indeed it has barely begun. Other social justice movements through out history have faced imprisonment, arrest and vilification – do we really expect change without it?

Artwork pinched from Banksy's site, copyright blah, blah, blah. He writes on people's walls anyway so what would he care?