Have just been back to the fair. The police are present and have talked to the idiot selling the fish, the RSPCA are en route and have been asked to attend by police. Hopefully all will be confiscated and rehomed and the abuser nicked but we will have to wait and see, I am far too cynical to believe that it will be that simple

i genuinely and passionately share your desire to defend all living creatures from abuse, and honour your motives in the actions you describe above. thank f@ck someone cared enough to do something for those poor fish. however i wish that we could find better ways of dealing with animal abusers than having them arrested/sent to prison, to me this makes us not much better than them as locking up humans is also a form of animal abuse. also it does not change the mindset of these people, fear and violence does not change a person from an abuser, it only further brutalises them.

I doubt very much he will be arrested, if he is he will be in a cell for a few hours, then out on bail, I have been arrested many times and survived (despite the violence used) and even on some occassions found the experience relaxing as it got me out of a horrible cold demo when I was knackered. If in some fantasy land scenario this goes to court and he is found guilty he will not go to prison. If he set fire to live dogs on Merstow Green the worse sentence he could possibly expect is 6 months inside unless the dogs were of an expensive pedigree and stolen, or he was charged with arson. I have no sympathy when animal rights people are serving very long sentences. My evil, dark side does indeed want him to be arrested and prosecuted.

I do understand your point that prison is abuse and I think the vast majority of prisoners should be released but for those who hurt, kill, maim, torture, abuse, rape and destroy living beings (and I include the CEOs of big corporations, their thugs, many police officers, etc) there have to be consequences in order that others can live without being bullied. If the consequence for a rapist is to hang him from the nearest tree I want no part of it, I would rather he be locked away (and treated humanely) after it being proven as much as possible that he was guilty of this offence. I am no lover of the prison system or the criminal justice system I am fully aware that it is corrupt, cruel, dirty, erratic and unfair. But if you ask me what do you do with a serial rapist without using the violence of prison or the violence of street justice I admit I am utterly stumped. If the rapist is free and dictating his terms it is the liberty of others who are sacrificed through fear and ruined lives. I have no answers, I really would be interested in hearing about how people think we as a movement should (in an ideal world) deal with those who treat others as nothing more than something to be abused. In the meantime if I can nail someone through legal process I will thus reducing my risk of being prosecuted (if I resort to illegal actions). If legal means are not available, or fail, or are not considered an option then illegal means then become inevitable. Police and court action or the stall wrecked one night, as long as adverse consequences happen to stop abuse and deter future abuse I am satisfied. I appreciate that others may have dealt with this differently I hope that legal action is taken today so that we do not have to step action up tonight.

The council can be contacted on 01386 761455 to register a complaint.

Evesham town council have been delegated by the police to deal with this. Apparently it is not an offence to torment animals in public and they "regretably" can do no more than handwringing to the Mop air organiser and ask him nicely not to allow the stall at future events. Evesham town council HAVE to give permission to the fair but have no say in the stalls their number is 01386 47070.

Apparently our hands are all tied "nothing can be done". Well some of us disagree and are holding a demo at one of the fish stalls tonight (there are 2 we have now found out), we will also make it very difficult for the Mop to be held in Evesham or Stratford Upon Avon or anywhere whilst they persist with such abhorrent cruelty as part of the fair.

We will be there from 19.00 onwards.