The first request of the day for many was mingling around the stalls and buying new t-shirts saying SAVED Newchurch Guineepigs and people were updating their wardrobes and getting good food and chilling out. After an hour and a half of chatting and meeting up with old friends an estimated 200 people had arrived to here from a host of speakers in the movement, who sadly, could not speak, as they were banned from entering the UK or otherwise detained! So a speaker from the campaign was forced to read out letters, which resulted in their message “still” getting out to the masses and the crowed that had gathered attentively to hear what had to be said; cheered jubilantly and loudly in a buoyant mood that was to last through out the day, regardless of what the police did or the authorities imposed, showing that the animal rights movement will not just lie down and take it, and that they can dish it out just the same.
The march started of a little after 2 o’clock and was silent in its nature for the first half, out of a mark of respect to all those animals that have died needlessly. This was accompanied by a lone drummer, who marked out the beat of the slow march in a haunting manner. At a designated point the march burst in to a loud screams of triumph, cheer and victory that had no sound of dying or fading for the rest of the march that filled the streets of Burton on Trent in an exhilarating manner. People were dancing down the streets and waving their arms in a salute of victory despite the taunting of a couple of individuals that were not part of the procession and looked like they were trying to cause trouble for the march, but the marchers were having none of it today, as today was their day!
Despite the jubilant mood, the police had to show their prejudices against the animal rights movement by arresting a 13 year old girl for handing out leaflets (yes, handing out leaflets, a highly criminal act these days!). Apparently two or three others were arrested when they tried to plead with the police to show some logic and reason for their actions, while the young girl was being arrested.
Throughout the day I spoke to some individuals from a variety of campaign groups and asked them for their view on the announcement of the Halls closing their doors for the last time at the farm from hell.
Although the Halls are quitting, they still have guinea pigs in the farm and SNGP are still applying pressure to get the guinea pigs to good homes and not to the labs that the halls are hoping for, despite their claims of concern over animal welfare, another from the same campaign said in addition to seeing through the closure of Newchurch we are hopping to give support to other established campaigns like SHAC and stopping any university from experimenting on primates. When I asked if it was worth the struggle they all replied along the same lines of “absolutely, it is well worth the struggle to stop animal torture, but no one here can begin to understand what this (victory day) means here, we are not stupid, we are equal to all those campaigns against slavery, against racism and all the rest, they are all valid, all need fighting for”.
The policing has been awful, the wrongful arrest rate has been through the roof, Police Officer Rushden one day drove down from the house and stopped to wind down his window and said “you will never close us down” how biased is that, he even began to think he was working for the Halls, (some swear he was) and we appreciate how awful they have been and so do the ALF, they haven’t been able to catch anyone.
Despite all the laws they tweaked and have brought in they still can’t stop us and won’t, we get stronger and more powerful when we become vulnerable as our tactics change and we try even harder to close them down because we know we are a threat and are having an impact on the businesses who try to profit from animal torture.
The battle continues though as it was noted that police intelligence gathering officers from Oxford and Cambridge were there armed with video cameras, but hey we won this one so let’s do the rest.
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Hi res images available on request, free for non commercial use under creative commons license
Pictures:
Gary Austin: Radical Images
Comments
Hide the following 17 comments
Shameful
04.09.2005 02:04
P
shameful to who?
04.09.2005 10:10
Gary
everybody
04.09.2005 14:12
Dolly the sheeple
Animal intelligence
04.09.2005 17:13
Gladys
How comes pigs and sheeple care about dead things, but not living things?
Pinny Gig
Arrest
04.09.2005 20:40
The police frustrated by the years of the action from the GLORIOUS Animal Liberation Front shamed themselves by assaulting and terrifying a defenseless child! Sound familiar?
I fully support all the actions carried out by the Animal Liberation Front and congratulate you all for your involvement in the Newchurch campaign. If not for you brave men and women places like Consort and Hillgrove would still be open and the Lab at Cambridge and Oxford would be built! I am looking at a picture right now of two ALF Commandos posing in a picture with 5 LIBERATED Beagles from Interfauna in 2000. Five out of 71! I salute you all!!
The animals rights movement will not be stopped, we will not stop until TOTAL animal liberation!
ANIMAL LIBERATION, WHAT EVER IT TAKES!!!!!
SMASH HLS!!
Mark
e-mail:
info@wakefieldanimalrights.com
Homepage:
http://www.wakefieldanimalrights.com
Shame on this overweight, practically obese MONSTER busy arresting in Burton
04.09.2005 23:37
Neverrr moind "OSAMA" look at what oi gots ''ere!!
HateAuthorityTillDeath
Great Day
05.09.2005 11:11
Tracy
e-mail:
tlc101@fsmail.net
The result
06.09.2005 08:41
Don't get me wrong I am happy to see the farm close but in the future now more animals will suffer far worse conditions.
A hollow victory
Your reasoning is hollow, not this victory.
08.09.2005 23:08
If it is wrong, it is wrong. Join the _international_ animal rights movement in supporting overseas groups fighting to end cruelty and suffering iworldwide. For contacts see the international section of Veggies Directory at [a href=
Pat
to 'a hollow victory'
08.09.2005 23:59
We have to start somewhere and kicking vivisectors and related parasites ass in the UK is as good a place as anywhere to start. All over the world activists look to the AR/AL movement in the UK as an example and inspiration.
Saying that it is better to be tortured and killed in a UK lab (how come they always get exposed breaking regulations and abusing animals....) rather than an indian one is a seriously badly thought out arguement. Shit, I'd rather be tortured and beaten in Gutanamo Bay than Abu Gharib (apologies for the spelling), is basically what your are saying.
Any lab where animal research is routine is going to breed animal abuse and there is no excuse for it anywhere. I notice that you are unable to offer a better approach. Do you want us to campaign in India and ignore the mountains of evidence of horrendous suffering in UK labs.
Funnily enough, your argument is a common one used by pro-animal research apologists. Come on, own up!
Brian Cass
e-mail:
cassbrian@ukorg.huntingdon.org
Hello
09.09.2005 18:43
If these animals are in poor condition then won't they give funny test results?
Bob
an international struggle
11.09.2005 11:14
Great work to all you activists in the UK for closing down Newchurch. You are a real inspiration to us all!
Daniel
e-mail:
respectforanimals@hotmail.com
This is the ALF
12.09.2005 01:29
Nobody does it better.
Animal rights is not a request.
John
inspired
02.10.2005 14:40
victory
jay
Yummy Guinea Pigs
11.05.2006 09:37
Big Meat Eater
meat eaters suck (our lifesource)
30.06.2006 22:33
V Realm
you may not like them or care for them but still have to respect them!
28.03.2008 14:52
brazil
e-mail:
hammy1928@hotmail.com