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Operation Liberation: Highgate Rabbit Farm

IMC UK Features | 26.09.2009 08:30 | SHAC | Animal Liberation

OPERATION LIBERATION REPORTING:

IMC Northern England will be providing coverage of the SHAC UK national Demonstration at Highgate Rabbit Farm, Lincolnshire on Saturday 26th September.

Those at the demo can phone in their news of the days events to:

07513783376

Alternatively, you can publish pictures/video/text direct from your phone to the Northern Indymedia "Tumblewire" from an internet enabled phone to mob.northern-indymedia.org

During the midnight hours of 6th January 2008, Animal Liberation Front (ALF) volunteers gained entry to Highgate Rabbit Farm, in Lincolnshire, who imprison animals waiting to suffer and die in the miserable vivisection industry (Pictures | Video). 129 rabbits were liberated with £70,000 worth of damage caused to the farm and its vehicles.

Following the raid, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) reported the farm subsequently stopped supplying rabbits for animal testing, in a plan to close down the business. However, after instruction from the police, the farm reluctantly resumed supplying rabbits to laboratories, one of which is Europe's biggest and most exposed lab Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).

Therefore as part of a global week of action against vivisection breeders, SHAC have called a UK national demonstration for Saturday 26th September, directly outside the farm, in an attempt to save the rest of the animals and close down the lab supplier. Just days later ALF activists claimed they painted slogans against those who own and run the farm, such as 'Douglas Family Bunny Butchers' and 'Douglas Animal Abusers' in the Market Rasen area.

Links: About Highgate | Demo/Transport Details | Resources | Action

Newswire: Butane bomb left at Novartis | ALF Welcome Andrew Baker To Town | Letters Sent To HLS-Loving Scum | Vivisection Animal Breeder Global Week of Action | Fire At Homes Of HLS Lenders | Veganarchist Dean Cain Remanded Again | Launch of SHAC North America | Pain doubles at HLS, animal use drops 34% | Unilever Products Sabotaged | Novartis Products Ruined | Latest on HLS financials | Novartis under attack | Novartis Stinks | SHAC newsletter 52 - out now! | New Largest Investor Morgan Stanley Dumps HLS | Huntingdon Life Sciences doomed financial status | Warning Sent To Novartis Offices | Dan Amos has moved prisons | MFAH destroy Novartis CEO's hunting lodge, ALF paint subsidiary | More articles

See also: Highgate Farm Protest Camp

Operation Liberation: Highgate Rabbit Farm (by Latuff)
Operation Liberation: Highgate Rabbit Farm (by Latuff)


On 13th October 2008, four people were arrested after their car was stopped in Lincolnshire, with CCTV footage later showing that they had been on the property of the Highgate Rabbit Farm. Known as the Highgate Four, they were later charged with 'conspiracy to commit criminal damage' and section 145 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA), 'conspiracy to interfere with contractual relations so as to harm an animal research oganisation'. In May 2009, one of the defendants was found not guilty, whilst the other three pleaded guilty to reduced charges and await sentencing.

The closing down of Highgate would be a major victory for the anti-vivisection movement. Highgate is one of only nine known remaining breeders of animals for laboratories in the UK. During the 1990s, campaigners successfully closed Oxford University Park Farm, Regal Rabbits, Sky Commercial Rabbit Farm, Shamrock farm, Consort Beagles, Hylyne Rabbits and Hillgrove Cat Farm. Darley Oaks guinea pig farm was also closed in 2006.

An Introduction: Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC)

Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) are in the business of poisoning healthy animals to death. They are a contract testing operation that tests products for others. They have three sites two in the UK and one in the US. Five hundred animals are put to death every day by HLS, killing tens of thousands of horses, cats, dogs, primates, rabbits, hamsters, rats, mice and fish amongst others each year.

SHAC was set with the sole aim of closing HLS down. The campaign was set up at the end of 1999 by a group of activists who had successfully closed down Consort kennels and Hillgrove cat farm. Both campaigns ended with the businesses closing down and hundreds of animals being safely rehomed instead of tortured in labs.

Shareholders, stockbrokers, market makers, suppliers and clients have all dumped HLS, including the world’s largest companies; all four main high street banks in the UK, the world’s largest financial institution, the world’s second largest bank and the world’s largest insurance broker. Huntingdon are $72 million dollars in debt with NO commercial bank and insurance company anywhere in the world prepared to deal with them.

HLS’ key weakness is their finances and by throwing the spotlight on those funding their abuse campaigners across the globe have managed to bring HLS to the brink of financial collapse. Throughout the campaign activists have made financial history as one by one major corporations have yielded to protester power and severed their links with the failing company.

Campaigners use evidence obtained in seven undercover investigations at their different laboratories in the UK and USA where HLS workers have been caught on film punching puppies in the face, simulating sex with animals in their care, cutting open primates while they are still alive and falsifying experiments to get products on the market. HLS workers have even been caught drunk at work and dealing drugs at the labs.

Huntingdon Life Sciences have a criminal record from a British court of law for breaking the Companies’ Act. They are the only UK laboratory to ever have their licence revoked by the government.

An Introduction: Animal Liberation Front (ALF)

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) carries out direct action against animal abuse in the form of rescuing animals and causing financial loss to animal exploiters, usually through the damage and destruction of property.

The ALF's short-term aim is to save as many animals as possible and directly disrupt the practice of animal abuse. Their long term aim is to end all animal suffering by forcing animal abuse companies out of business. It is a nonviolent campaign, activists take all precautions not to harm any animal (human or otherwise).

Because ALF actions may be against the law, activists work anonymously, either in small groups or individually, and do not have any centralized organization or coordination. The ALF consists of small autonomous groups of people all over the world who carry out direct action according to the ALF guidelines.

Previous features: Largest HLS Investor Dumps All Shares As Buyout Approaches | Novartis CEO's hunting lodge destroyed | Highgate Farm Protest Camp | Largest Shareholder Barclays and Top Investors Dump HLS | World Day for Animals in Laboratories March | SHAC supporter unlawfully arrested at Barclays Bank | SHAC Shakedown City Investors | Top HLS Investors Dump Shares | HLS Exposed - Yet Again! SHAC To Shakedown Financial Investors In The City | 50 Years For The UK SHAC 7 | Anti-vivisection campaigners convicted of blackmail | Largest HLS Investor Dumps All Shares | SHAC Prepares For National March & Rally | Victory for animal rights campaigners | Activist Imprisoned for Shouting | Fisher Scientific Embarrassed Over Links with HLS | SHAC World Day for Lab Animals | Asahi Glass Protesters Harassed by Police | "March Against the Murderers"



IMC UK Features

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Solidarity with Lewis

26.09.2009 10:19

When outside Highgate today don't forget Lewis - facing prosecution for taking action for animals at Highgate - show your anger that they say his actions are illegal but the actions of HLS are not.

Solidarity for Lewis - political persecution.

Solidarity


Great Turn out...

26.09.2009 17:04

Must have been 200 - 250 there,all ferried down the lane by shuttle bus.
Plod wouldn't let us get close and had this massive banner about sec 14 or some such.
They had a little spy drone up taking pictures but we were masked up so no problem.
Nobody tried to get closer as there was van loads of plod - lets see how many times they can manage that sort of turn out!
All over at 5 and we walked back up the lane.

Just got in


Letters and phone calls for Highgate Rabbit Farm

26.09.2009 17:33

MESSAGE FOR GEOFF DOUGLAS (UK)

received anonymously:

"A stark warning has been sent by post to the pervert that owns highgate rabbit farm. It is a clear message of what is to come. WE WILL CLOSE YOU DOWN!

BREEDERS ATTACK UNIT"

*Geoff Douglas is the owner of Highgate Farm, in Lincolnshire, which breeds rabbits and ferrets for Huntingdon Life Sciences.

>>

PHONE CALLS AT ALL HOURS FOR PERVERTS (UK)

anonymous report:

"Workers of HLS customers have been experiencing some strange phone calls at all hours. This will continue until all your companies ties to HLS are severed. NOVARTIS WE WILL NOT LET UP UNTIL YOU ISSUE A STATEMENT STATING YOU'RE NOT, AND WILL NEVER AGAIN, USE HLS.
OH AND G. DOUGLAS YOUR WIFE SOUNDS LIKE A DOG, BUT THAT MIGHT BE DOWN TO THE TIME OF THE NIGHT."

Liberationists
- Homepage: http://DirectAction.info


SHAC topic page

26.09.2009 21:31

This belongs there I believe.

@


Further info

27.09.2009 14:00

Northern Indymedia reports on the demo:

Operation Liberation Demo at Highgate Rabbit Farm
Published: Saturday 26 September 2009 16:02
 http://northern-indymedia.org/articles/192

Highgate Farm Demonstration (and pictures)
Published: Saturday 26 September 2009 17:16
 http://northern-indymedia.org/articles/193

SHAC Topic pages
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2008/shac/


A report about the 'drone' remote control helicopter spying device used at Highgate can be seen at  http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/42, from an early outing at demo against BNP.

Pat


a lot of AR main page features?

30.09.2009 08:32

not to be critical of the people that are writing them or doing good stuff but just to point out that the main page features have recently had a lot of Animal Rights stories, 5 on my count out of 10 features on there. Let's see a bit of diversity in features people! (and yes I will try and find time to write one myself and pass the word around).
Don't Hate the Media, Be the Media!

commoner


Agreed

30.09.2009 13:26

More diversity needed with the front pages. People - get writing!

Looks like there is some slacking off going on...

@


Disagree

30.09.2009 16:55

No one complains when there are a lot of human related articles which is the majority of the time, least of all animal rights people.

IM


Re: IM

01.10.2009 23:59

Commoner wasn't complaining that there are too many animal liberation features, but that there weren't enough features in general. The two arguments are easily confused here and on the IM lists. The basis of Indymedia is you can't complain there are too many of "X" features, only that there are not enough of "X" features. The latter is only solved by writing your own.

Hence: Don't Hate the Media, Be the Media!

The reason I explained this is because I agree with commoner's comment. There is a need for more human liberation features. I only hope that the more animal liberation features there are the more it encourages IM writers to put features together (to balance the front page mainly but also because of the diversity of people that are now likely reading the site).

I do try and write some other features, but not very often as I usually lack the insight/energy.

Anti-speciesist (feature writer)