The protesters began assembling in Riverside car park around midday, where they were greeted by police officers thrusting video cameras in their faces as they left their vehicles, and a police helicopter circling overhead. The protesters browsed animal rights merchandise and vegan food, or watched videos played on a mobile screen which showed horrific footage from inside the infamous Huntingdon Life Sciences laboratory, including images of beagle puppies being punched and sworn at as they screamed in terror, and inspiring footage of the past actions of animal rights activists.

At around 1:30 there was a speech by Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty organiser Greg Avery, who revealed that he was late after stopping to help an Alsatian dog running loose on the motorway. He noted out the parallel between the many motorists who saw the dog but looked away or could not be bothered to stop, and the people who live close to Huntingdon Life Sciences and do nothing to stop their animal abuse. He pointed out that these were the people who would have also turned a blind eye to or made excuses for past atrocities such as the slave trade.

The protesters set off at about 1:30 on a loud march around the city, stopping in Chequers Court for speeches. Protesters banged drums, blew whistles, chanted and waved banners in a completely peaceful protest, despite the draconian attitude of the hundreds of police, who pushed the protesters around and refused to let them hand out leaflets to passers-by.

To learn more about the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign, please see  http://www.shac.net