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World Day for Laboratory Animals, Oxford, 19 Apr 2008

Simon | 21.04.2008 21:21 | Animal Liberation | Health | Oxford

Audio and video of some of the speeches at SPEAK’s march and rally in Oxford, to mark the World Day for Laboratory Animals and to keep Oxford University’s new vivisection laboratory in the spotlight.

André Ménache from Antidote Europe was the first speaker, pointing out that if there’s one thing a vivisector is more scared of than the Animal Liberation Front, it’s another scientist, especially a former vivisector.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOWF34R2fbI

Alan was the next speaker, pointing out that the vivisection industry had nothing to do with improving human health, but had everything to do with money.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghocw6FTcXU

The protestors marched from Oxpens Park to the road where Oxford University’s new vivisection laboratory is situated, and stopped some tens of metres away from the new lab for some more speeches.

A poem was recited, telling the story of Felix, a monkey who was condemned to endure the most horrific of experiments within the university, before finally dying and being discarded like a piece of unwanted rubbish.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwUYkOQT07w

Matthew Simpson, a graduate of Oxford University, spoke of Oxford’s tradition of opposition to vivisection, and sought to give his former university the same lesson in ethics that the people he spoke of had tried to give over a century previously.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0vIVRMoo0Y

Mel Broughton was unable to attend the rally due to his incarceration as a political prisoner. Instead, a written message was delivered on his behalf.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9q9rk1aJhM

The final speech was delivered by the same lady who read Mel’s message, whose name I didn’t catch, who outlined the sort of horrific things that would be happening in the new vivisection laboratory.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4t6BIeWNk

The protestors then marched back from the university site to Oxpens park. As has become traditional on these occasions, they marched in silence along Oxford’s high street before making an enormous din upon reaching the end of the street.

Contrary to the mainstream media’s stereotype of violent animal rights extremists, this was a very peaceful (if very noisy) event. I’m not aware of any arrests having been made, and the day was only marred by one incident when a passing member of the public apparently threw an egg at some of the protestors.

More info:
 http://www.speakcampaigns.org/
 http://www.antidote-europe.org/
 http://www.curedisease.net/

Simon

Additions

Additional video - 10 minute selection of highlights

22.04.2008 21:17

Another movie containing as much of the best bits of the day as I could fit into 10 minutes. Most of the footage herein is included in the videos that I've already posted, but this is the one to share with friends who might not have the patience to watch all the individual videos.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR5oHroA3OE

Share and enlighten...

Simon


Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

ALF or Scientists Talking?

22.04.2008 22:37

I was at the demo but I feel André Ménache’s comment was wrong at least in the short term.

Look at the story regarding Sciencelink, the ALF is powerful! They stopped the lab.

The ALF halted work on the Oxford lab for a bit, that seems to have been the most effective bit of campaigning since the lab’s planning approval. If this lab is stopped I think it will be the ALF who do it, I don’t think scientists talking or protest will stop the lab.

I have some slight reservations about SPEAK’s direction at this point after the protest on Saturday. My feelings are not based in concrete facts necessarily, they are just some feelings, I just hope I am completely wrong.

FREEDOM


Re: Freedom

23.04.2008 19:00

I know what you mean....I hope that things are still stable, I just have this feeling that things are right at the moment. Best thing to do is support Mel til he's out then there won't be a problem.

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