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Oxford builders get harassment warning

Eddie "Cheatin' Ham" Rolls | 21.07.2006 15:02 | Animal Liberation | Oxford

Harassment warnings given to builders and incompetent cyclist hurts himself instead of protestors. Another day of interesting events curtesy of Oxford University employees.

Several weeks ago at the weekly SPEAK demo against the animal lab on South Parks Road in Oxford, a car of four builders drove past. The were rude and abusive to those carrying out the demo. A couple of protestors challenged them and passed the vehicles details onto the police. After some pressure it emerged this week that all four men had been tracked down.

It turns out that they worked just around the corner for building firm Sir Robert McAlpine, contractors for the new biochemistry building just off South Parks Road. All four (though they all had problems' remembering who the driver was) recieved harassment warnings for their behaviour.

However, they were not the only University employeed people to come a cropper due to their own stupidity. The “Desigated Protest Area” is where the protestors are told they are allowed to stand once a week if they wish to protest in front of the laboratories. These protests have taken place every Thursday, between 1 and 5 pm for the last two years, so it is impossible for anyone who uses the area regularly to not know about their existance.

Now there are two cycle paths down South Parks Road toward St Cross Street / Marston cycle path, one on the road, and one on the footpath. The latter cuts through the protest area, but there is nothing the protestors can do about it as they have been told to stand there at the request of an injunction taken out by Oxford University itself.

On a regular basis cyclists deliberately ride at speed and in a dangerous manner through the protestors, despite their being saver alternatives. Thursday gone was no exception. One member of university staff went out of this way to pick the spot that would endanger the protestors as much as possible despite there being plenty of space elsewhere. Only it was he who came undone. Hitting the soft gravel at a speed he must have known was too fast, he flipped over his bike and ended up on the ground.

When asked aby one protestor how stupid he felt now for trying to injure protestors he swore back violently, though he declined to repeat the comments to the police that came to stand over him. In the end he wobbled off foolishly.

Yet again, the true nature of the University is exposed....

Eddie "Cheatin' Ham" Rolls

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Well done

21.07.2006 18:10

Anyone who is fooled by the corporate media into thinking that animal rights people are 'violent', 'terrorists' or any of the other false labels should go to Oxford and witness the fine conduct of the brave activists who are standing up to the government and Oxford University.

For more on the campaign

 http://www.speakcampaigns.org.uk/

Toby Muller


Cycle Path

24.07.2006 14:50

If you were standing on the road I presume drivers would get angry that you are blocking their passage.

Cycles are traffic. If you block their passage please accept that not everyone will be happy with you.

Chris


cycle paths fact

25.07.2006 19:36

There is a separate and well used cycle path on South Parks Road, so there is no reason for anyone to actually use the one on the path. Thus there need be no inconvenience to anyone. However, the main problem was that these people insist on speeding up as they approach the protestors, instead of riding safely.

Eddie


Chris is a dong

25.07.2006 22:17

Chris, did you know that the first rule of the highway code is to 'give way to pedestrians at all times'? And with the other space provided there is no reason for this, other than aggression and hostility from the cyclists. You are a dong.

Badger


sigh

27.07.2006 16:57

I work for Oxford University.

I'm interested - does that automatically make me your enemy? Are you aware that there are plenty of people who have NOTHING TO DO with animal testing who work for the University?

I am happy working for Oxford University - it pays enough for me to fund video-activism projects and certainly beats working for some morally bankrupt multinational corporation. I spend a lot of my free time doing advocacy work for human rights organisations and anti-arms proliferation campaigns... how does this sit with your view of University staff?

Perhaps you just have a problem with universities in general - but I guess I can't blame you since, judging by your spelling, you never went to one.

James


Nothing against the university

29.07.2006 11:21

Oooh come on now James, my spelling's not that bad, let's not resort to bitchy remarks eh! tch tch!
I did go to uni, and I am better educated than you are but that's beside the point. I've nothing against the uni, I believe though that animal testing is fradulent, misleading and has catastrophic consequences.

Badger


James

23.10.2006 11:37

James, I have a first class honours MA in Politics and International studies, but guess what? Intelligance is more than a degree.

I dont agree with targetting Oxford students (well ok maybe some of the pricks I know there...) but dont be upset James, SPEAK has no intention of targetting you, is your ego abit deflated now? Maybe you wont be able to sell that 'animal rights nutters attacked me' story to the Daily Mail.

Sarah