Novartis finally flip, demos in Hampshire

Activists visited Ciba Vision, Novartis's, Hedge End Call Centre again several times last week.

Novartis are deeply involved in the disgusting Hunting Life Science and they are now trying to ban all demonstrations by claiming there is a new high court injunction:

A demostration was called and activists were told to arrive at the area designated by the previous high court injunction. The terms of the high court injunction were followed, the phonecall made to the police, 24 hours before etc. Activists were asked to meet at protest point A. Due to the general crapness of the "previous" injunction we have pretty much given up demonstrationing at the injunction areas anyway (you can't use megaphones and they can't see us) so we were then going to go to the edge of the injunction area (a really good location) and demo there as normal, outside the injunction area. But not everyone knows that location so we thought we would meet in the old location A and move on from there. When the first two activists arrived at injunction spot A they were welcomed by PC Martin Foster (Hamsphire Police's "special" animal rights/environmental and top football hooligan bod) he had apparently been there for half the day and look pretty pissed off. We pointed out the injunction had been carried out to the letter, but he then went into full flow, now wearing a silly camera.

The new defacto head of Novartis's Security PC Martin Foster (an officer already warned by his commanding officer after taking gifts from Ciba Vision in the past) then started to claim that a "new" injunction was in force, he was absolutely desperate to surve the "new" injunction on us. Legally however he couldn't "as he is not meant to be working for Novartis and as it is a civil matter surving it has to be done by a member of the Novartis staff and without it being surved he can't do anything. After activists told him of this he stated "i was only mythologically surving it on you" which did lead to some chuckles. He then phoned up Novartis and asked them to surve it (even though legally he can't get involved in surving it). He then stated "he hadn't seen the injunction himself" but did know we had to give our names and address to Novartis and even our car registration numbers!!. This sounded nuts so we asked him if we could look at a copy (which should have been on a lampost at the protest site). He then stated "oh there is one down there" pointing to the area outside Ciba Vision, where the previous (and expectedly the new one) bans activists from going to. So how can we read it?? After waiting a little time we saw no reason in talking to Fossy Foster any more so we walked back to meet the rest of the guys as they walked down from the station.

Amazingly enough then two cars from Novartis then came speeding out at high speed. With two people in each, one with a video camera hanging out of the side. They sped along the road following us, we split up at that point as they were getting increasingly erratic and insane. At one point the locals at a carpet centre offered to phone the police stating "they're mad they think they are in spooks or something". It is still unclear what they were trying to achieve by speeding on the local roads trying to stick cameras in our faces. We didn't run and they even drove slowly next to one of us. They didn't try and get out to try and surve the injunction. We are guessing this was a bizarre attempt at intimidating us, but really Novartis do you think that will work??

We of course soon lost them and met up with our friends to carry out the intended demonstration. This was as great as ever, hundreds of leafets given out and loads of people made aware of Ciba Vision Novartis's shame. Still no idea about the "new injunction", if there is one, but at least now we know it's far better to get around an injunction than go with it.

Oh and guess what we were back the next day and a couple of days after that. Injunctions work do they Fossy? think not.

See you sometime soon

SHAC Hedge End