Nottinghamshire Animal Liberation Feature Archive

Protests continue against the construction of an animal lab at the University of Leicester. Activists have targetted various companies involved in the construction, including Willmott Dixon. On Monday June 7, activists held a protest outside the WD's headquarters in Coleshill, Birmingham. One campaigner chained himself to a bench and began a 3 day hunger strike.

The campaign was established following the university's announcement that it was going to be building a new animal lab on Lancaster Place. Whilst the university claims that "vital" research will be carried out at the facility, campaigners content that the new lab "is squandering money away from potentially life-saving research which is accurate and does not involve abusing animals."

On the newswire: Activist completes 3 day hunger strike outside WD office | Activist begins hunger strike protest at Willmott Dixon | Hunger striker to protest WD Coleshill | Pressure continued on Willmott Dixon in Coleshill

Previous feature: Proposed Leicester animal lab attracts protests

Links: Stop the Leicester Animal Lab | National Anti-Vivisection Alliance | Notts Indymedia animal liberation newswire

On June 5-6, the Sumac Centre hosted the "first ever Vegan Beer Festival". Vegans and vegetarians are wary of real ales as they often use isinglass, derived from the swim bladders of fish, to make it less cloudy. This inspired a number of local vegans to organise the real ale festival as a way of demonstrating that there is an alternative.

The Saturday was a gloriously warm day and the event was well attended, with the alcohol flowing within minutes of the official opening at 12 noon. There were a range of beers available to try, along with several ciders and perrys. Interest was so great that the beer ran out on Saturday.

On the newswire: Vegan real ale festival | Sumac Vegan Beer Festival Saturday 5th June and Sunday 6th June

Links: Vegan Beer Festival | Nottingham Animal Rights | Nottingham CAMRA

Animal rights activists dropped banners and protested on the roof of the construction site of a new animal lab in Leicester on Monday. Banners were also hung on other University of Leicester buildings.

The National Anti-Vivisection Alliance (NAVA) claim that 101 animals already die in the university's labs each day and that the proposed £15m facility will add to this. The university claims that only rodents will be used at the new facility, but NAVA say they believe that dogs will be used as well.

NAVA was rapidly formed following the university's announcement that it was going to be building a new animal lab on Lancaster Place. Whilst the university claims that "vital" research will be carried out at the facility, NAVA say that the new lab "is squandering money away from potentially life-saving research which is accurate and does not involve abusing animals."

Newswire: Activists Scale Leicester Animal Lab in Rooftop Protest | Action Alert #1 - Stop the Leicester Animal Lab | Location of the Leicester Animal Lab Building Site | New animal lab at Leicester; New nationwide campaign to start

Links: NAVA | Notts Indymedia Animal Liberation newswire

Since the notorious Great British Circus pitched up in Nottingham last Tuesday, there have been daily demonstrations by animal rights protesters outside. The protesters are angry that the circus uses animals for the "medieval" entertainment of punters with scant regard for their welfare. The circus uses tigers, zebras, camels and horses kept in "woefully small" cages for most of their lives.

Forcing animals to perform in travelling circuses, which is condemned by the RSPCA as "very harmful", may soon become illegal. Animal circuses are already banned on most council land across the country because of the cruelty and a recent Bristol university study into circus animal welfare came to damning conclusions.

On Sunday, 30 activists came to the demonstration at the circus' current venue, the Japanese Water Gardens in Toton, and other successful demonstrations were held last week. The activists are calling for concerned people to demonstrate the circus at its next venue in Leicester, when it arrives on Tue 27th.

Update: Following news of the ban on wild animals in circuses, Nottingham Animal Rights will be celebrating with cake and champagne at the Japanese Water Gardens, 2pm on Sunday.

Newswire: Circus protests continue in Nottingham and Leicester | Local activists protest circus cruelty | Great British Circus protests and much more

Previous feature: Nottingham Animal Rights get active

Links: Nottingham Animal Rights | Veggies Animal Rights Calendar | Captive Animals' Protection Society | Notts Animal Liberation topic

It has been a busy start to 2010 for Nottingham hunt saboteurs who have been sabbing in collaboration with sabs from Sheffield and Leeds. Hunts across the Midlands and North of England have been sabbed, in some cases for the first time in several years. The Lunesdale hunt on the Cumbria/North Yorkshire border, for instance, hasn't been sabbed in more than 20 years.

In spite of the legal ban on hunting with hounds coming into force in 2005, most hunts continue as they did before. The police, used to protecting hunts and repressing saboteurs, have changed little in their approach. Hunt saboteurs use direct action to save the lives of hunted animals.

It isn't just foxes which have been saved. Sabs have also intervened to stop ferreters and hare coursers. Now the hunt season is over until August/September, local sabs are considering sabbing some mink hunters in the summer and willl be working to protect badgers from baiting in South Yorkshire, and from culling further afield, from May.

On the newswire: Nottingham, Sheffield & Leeds Sabs January – March 2010 Report | National Animal Rights Spring Gathering

Previous features: Animal rights gathering in Notts | Busy year for Nottingham hunt sabs

Links: Hunt Saboteurs Association | Nottingham Hunt Sabs | Derby Hunt Sabs | Nottingham Animal Rights | Notts Indymedia Animal Liberation topic

On the weekend of 12-14 March, Nottingham Animal Rights and Veggies hosted the national animal rights spring gathering at Nottingham's Sumac Centre. This was a weekend of networking, workshops, discussions, actions and social activities and well attended by activists from across the county.

This included a city-wide (and beyond) Day of Action on Saturday 13 March, with campaigns against shops selling fur, foie gras and KFC, Greyhound Action, a demo against the 'great' British Circus, a vegan free food giveaway & McDonalds demo and a mass hunt sab. Following the day's campaigning, French Living have pledged to discontinue the sale of foie gras and thanks to the presence of Nottingham Hunt Saboteurs and many friends, no foxes were killed by the Grove and Rufford Hunt, on the last day of their season. Meanwhile residents at Waddington, near Lincoln, have pledged that the Great British Circus will never return.

On Sunday, Notts Stop the BNP got news that Nick Griffin was to speak at the Nag's Head, Sutton-in-Ashfield. Due to the short notice only a few campaigners were able to make the hastily organised protest. Fortunately, three minibuses of animal rights activists from the gathering arrived to show their opposition to the BNP.

Upcoming event; Animal Rights Summer Gathering, 27-30 August, near Northampton.

On the newswire: Griffin blames the labour party for blocking his meeting! | Report on protest against BNP Sutton meeting | KFC protest | Free Vegan food Giveaway at the AR Spring gathering | Nick Griffin vs animal rights | National Animal Rights Spring Gathering

Previous features: Another victory for anti-fur campaigners | Busy year for Nottingham hunt sabs | Nottingham Animal Rights get active

Links: Fur Free Nottingham | Greyhound Action in Nottingham | National Animal Rights Gathering | Nottingham Animal Rights | Nottingham Hunt Sabs | Notts Stop the BNP | Veggies | Notts Indymedia animal liberation newswire

The ongoing Fur Free Nottingham campaign against shops that sell fur has claimed another victory. Vintage Warehouse, on Lower Parliament Street, have agreed to adopt a fur free policy. The company follows Kitsch, Baklash and Cow who have all adopted fur free policies following protests outside their shops by Nottingham animal rights activists.

Over 50 million animals are killed every year for their fur and there are virtually no legal controls for the welfare of animals on fur farms. Animals on fur farms are caged raised and killed using methods such as neck breaking, anal electrocutions and gassing. Animals are sometimes skinned alive for their fur.

The protesters are now vowing to step up their campaign against Cashe and Flannels, the few remaining clothes shops in Nottingham that sell fur.

Newswire: Anti fur demonstration with a difference at Cashe Nottingham | Vintage Warehouse adopt a fur free policy during protest | Nottingham Animal Rights into the Teenies | Flannels protest after recent successes with local anti fur campaign. | Cow sign anti-fur pledge

Previous feature: Nottingham Animal Rights get active

Links: Campaign for a fur free Nottingham | Nottingham Animal Rights | Notts Indymedia Animal Liberation newswire

2009 was a busy year for Nottingham hunt saboteurs who were sabbing from September to December in collaboration with sabs from Sheffield and Leeds. They successfully sabotaged a number of hunts in the region including the South Notts, the Burton and Blankney hunts in Lincolnshire and the Meynall & South Staffs and High Peak hunts in Derbyshire. The saboteurs also held a successful fundraising event in Nottingham.

In spite of the legal ban on hunting with hounds coming into force in 2005, most hunts continue as they did before. The police, used to protecting hunts and repressing saboteurs, have changed little in their approach. Hunt saboteurs use direct action to save the lives of hunted animals.

Newswire: Nottingham Animal Rights into the Teenies | Sheffield, Nottingham & Leeds Saboteurs End Of Year Report | Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs | Nottingham Animal Rights Events

Links: Hunt Saboteurs Association | Derby Hunt Sabs | Nottingham Animal Rights | Notts Indymedia Animal Liberation topic

On Saturday 26th September, 350 people demonstrated outside Highgate Rabbit Farm in Lincolnshire, a supplier of rabbits and ferrets to the vivisection industry, including Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), Europe's largest and most exposed lab. The Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) protest titled 'Operation Liberation' was part of the campaign to close down the farm and hailed as a success, bringing the attention of local people to the farms immoral practices.

Videos: 1 | 2 | 3 | Newswire: Report | Pictures | Open letter and pics of cops! | Message Left For Geoff Douglas | Phone Calls At All Hours For Perverts

Previous features: Operation Liberation: Highgate Rabbit Farm | Highgate Farm Protest Camp

Indymedia SHAC topic pages: UK | Northern

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

Update: Protest camp set up near the entrance of Highgate Rabbit Farm (see timelines for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).

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.

Links: About Highgate | Demo Details | Resources | Action

Related newswire: SHAC Diary Dates | Heather Nicholson moved prison | SHAC Latin American Day of Action against HLS customer Bayer | Home visit for Pfizer executive | Crackdown On Anti-Corporate Dissent: Animal Rights Movement | "Break with HLS" painted at Novartis | Cars destoyed at home of Novartis Executive | SHAC Mad Science Week: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Payback time for the animals inside HLS | Suprise for Schering Plough Director | More articles

It has been a busy few weeks for animal rights activists from Nottingham. Local activists were involved in the demonstration against Crufts in Birmingham but there have also been demonstrations in Nottingham against the sale of fur by clothing chain Cruise. There are also ongoing demonstrations against the so-called Great British Circus which makes exploitative use of animals in its shows.

Newswire: Crufts Demo Report | 'Great' British Circus, next stop, Scunthorpe FC | Crufts Arrangments | Nottingham animal rights demonstrate against cruise to adopt an anti fur policy | McDonalds Campaign | East Midlands Vegan Festival | A typical action packed week

Links: Nottingham Animal Rights Website / Meetings / NewsGroup / Latest News / Facebook Group | Veggies | Northern Animal Rights Coalition: Cruise selling fur | PETA 2: The Great British Circus' Big Disgrace | Nottingham vs 'Great' British Circus

It has come to light that Nottingham is host to one of the few companies in the UK that sell shark fin. Not only is the finning of sharks barbaric, but their indiscriminate slaughter at an unsustainable rate is pushing many species to the brink of extinction. Since the 1970s the populations of several species have been decimated by over 95%. Horn Of Africa Traders Ltd, based at Kelvedon Gardens, Carlton, Nottingham buy and supply sharkfin originated from North Eastern Somalia. The company is said to have a factory based in Somalia and able to supply up to 1000 ton of dried shark fin a month.

The marine conservation action group Bite Back and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have been working closely in the UK to get companies to ditch shark fin from their menus and shelves. As well as various restaurants in London's Chinatown, the health chain Holland & Barrett recently stopped selling shark cartilage capsules under pressure from the campaign.

On the newswire: Seven Year Ditch: Shark Fin Soup Off Hakkasan Menu | Sharkwater UK Release | Shark conservation film in Notts | Defending the Wild | UK Indymedia Ocean Defence Topic page

Links: Horn Of Africa Traders Ltd | Bite Back | stopsharkfinning.net | Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Shark Trust

Japan has issued an arrest warrant for a Nottingham-based activist, alleging that he damaged the country's whaling fleet. Warrants have been issued for Daniel Bebawi, a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and two American volunteers and the Japanese government has sought to have the three placed on the Interpol wanted list.

The three all participated in the Sea Shepherd Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Leviathan in December 2006 and January and February 2007. The charges apparently stem from an collision between Japanese whaling vessel Keiko Maru and the Sea Shepherd ship Robert Hunter. The incident was investigated by the Australian Federal police at the time, with forensic evidence demonstrating that the Kaiko Maru had rammed the Robert Hunter.

Interviews with Dan: Back in Nottingham (audio) | On board the ship (text)

Reading: Sea Shepherd press release | Evening Post article

Previous feature: Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica

Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Operation Leviathan website | Wikipedia on Japanese Whaling | Indymedia UK Ocean defence page

The old adage holds that there is no such thing as a free meal. Over the last few months, campaigners in Nottingham have been trying to prove this wrong, dishing out free vegan food to shoppers. Several events have been held in the city centre to tie in with Vegetarian Week, the Day of Action on Food and Climate Change and the Viva! Veggie Roadshow, with a further activity planned for UN World Food Day on October 16th.

While everybody loves free stuff, there is also an important point to the exercise with campaigners promoting a vegan-friendly lifestyle. This is beneficial not only for the animals, who would otherwise suffer the horrors of factory farming, but also for the planet. Livestock accounts for something in the order of 18% of greenhouse gas emissions

Newswire: Free Vegan Food For All! 4/07/08* | The Incredible Veggie Roadshow comes to Nottingham | Nottingham: 'Food Not Bombs', Food & Climate Change Meeting | 3rd June Food Climate Change Day of Action in Nottingham | Ready Steady Skip: Trailer and website launched! | Free Foods Invades Nottingham

Links: Nottingham Animal Rights | Food Not Bombs | Veggies Catering Campaign | Viva! | Notts Indymedia Animal Liberation topic page

A Nottingham resident who joined the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as part of their crew on the vessel Steve Irwin has returned home. Dan, who has volunteered with Sea Shepherd previously, rejoined in the middle of this year's anti-whaling mission against the continued Japanese whale hunting activities in the Southern Ocean. Named Operation Migaloo, after the only known albino humpback in the world, this was Sea Shepherd's fourth expedition to the remote southern waters off the coast of Antarctica and has been typically eventful.

In January, two Sea Shepherd volunteers were taken hostage by Japanese whalers. Then in March, several of the crew were injured when the Japanese military threw grenades onto the ship and opened fire on them. The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin covered a total of 20,090 nautical miles (37,205 kilometers) during Opertaion Migaloo and made 3 return trips from Melbourne, Australia to the coast of Antarctica in 3½ months. In total, the ship was at sea for 83 days between December 5, 2007 and March 15, 2008. It is estimated that due to continued harrasment by the Sea Shepherd, the Japanese have not managed to get even half their whale quota this hunting season.

Upcoming: Sea Shepherd Fundraiser, 21 May, at Junktion 7. See Veggies diary entry for more info.

Interviews with Dan: Back in Nottingham (audio) | On board the ship (text)

UK Indymedia features: Sea Shepherd Activists Injured As Japanese Military Open Fire | Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean

Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Mission Migaloo website | Wikipedia on Japanese Whaling

Animal rights activists in Nottingham campaigning against the sale of Foie Gras in the city have found themselves the targets of police repression. On the evening of Friday December 14, campaigners were told that they could not use a megaphone, with the police citing Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 as their basis for this prohibition.

The heavy-handed police response is indicative of a national trend towards increasingly repressive policing of animal rights protests and a a more general limitation on the right to protest.

Newswire: Foie Gras Demonstrations Continue Despite Renewed Police Repression | Foie Gras protests continue in spite of increased pressure from police | Foie gras day of action | Foie Gras Not Fair to the Goose | Kick foie gras out of Nottingham

Links: Nottingham Animal Rights | Wikipedia on Foie Gras | Banfoiegras.org | Freedom to Protest

Audio: Fois Gras feature in audio - mp3

To celebrate the McLibel Human Rights Victory Anniversary, there was a small demo on Thursday at the McDonalds restaurant at Exchange Walk

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg declared that the notorious and long running McLibel case was in breach of the right to a fair trial and right to freedom of expression, thereby voiding any solace that McNasty may have enjoyed from the trial.

The Court ruled that UK laws had failed to protect the public’s right to criticise massive corporations whose business practices can affect people’s lives, health and the environment. Meanwhile after spending £10 million to suppress free speach, McDonalds find that the most widely distributed protest leaflet ever, continues to be distributed worldwide... Mainly by a group in Nottingham!

Audio: Interview with an activist about McDonald's and all its works | Short bit of the interview

Previous reports: Nottingham Another Anti-G8-McDonalds event (2004) | Nottingham McDonalds Celebrating the McLibel Two (2005) | Nottingham Day of Action against McDonald's (2005) | Nottingham's part of the Worldwide Day of Action Against McDonalds (2006)

Links: McSpotlight | Veggies

The Sumac Cafe is in crisis, due to a shortage of volunteers. It is in danger of closing and an important meeting is planned to look at possible solutions. These might include reinventing the nature of the cafe, perhaps doing more 'special nights', such as the monthly People's Kitchen events, instead of serving the breakfasts during weekends.

The meeting will be held on Friday 13th January, 7pm at the Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, Nottingham, NG7 6HX. All people with an interest in the cafe, or ideas about how it could or should be run, are most welcome.

Contact: email: sumaccafe@veggies.org.uk

Links: Sumac Cafe website | The Sumac Centre | Veggies Diary listing

Veggies is a catering campaign that has catered for and supported a huge range of groups campaigning for animal and human rights and social justice for the last 21 years. Since 1984 Veggies volunteers have been frying 'veggie-burgers', selling 'samosas for social change' and distributing a large range of leaflets, booklets and magazines.

Besides touring the country, catering at actions, demonstrations, festivals, fairs and meetings, Veggies play a vital role in the running of the Sumac Centre, the publishing of the Veggies Directory and putting together the Veggies Diary. Join us to celebrate! Tuesday 18th October from 8pm at the Sumac Social Club bar, with buffet provided.

Links: Veggies website | Veggies Directory | Veggies Diary | Join the Veggies crew | Archive of events and groups supported by Veggies | Vegfam / Veggies South Asia Earthquake Appeal

The owners of Darley Oaks Farm, also known as 'Newchurch Guinea Pig Farm', have announced in a statement that they will shut down its guinea pig breeding operations by the end of the year. The farm in Staffordshire, near Burton upon Trent has been breeding guinea pigs for animal experiments since 1999. Campaign groups like 'Save Newchurch Guinea Pigs' have been taking action against the company for years, trying to get them 'shut down'. In March, protesters received an injunction meaning they were not allowed to enter a designated area surrounding the farm.

Links: Save Newchurch Guinea Pigs (SNGP) | Announcement Nationwide Demonstration 3rd September | Demonstration to go ahead as planned | animal rights activists banned from entering the UK to speak on rally on 3rd Sep