UK Animal Liberation Feature Archive
Animal Rights activists target Wickham laboratories
31-05-2005 09:59
William Cartmell, owner of the nearby Laboratory that experiments on
animals, was put on trial in front of a jury of mice. Despite the rain, a
good time was had by all. A short demo was held afterwards at the nearby
lab.
Sell Fur? No, Just Fridges
24-05-2005 12:11
After a year-long campaign against their involvement in the fur trade, fashion retailers Selfridges have followed Harvey Nichols and declared that they have stopped selling fur in their stores.
On the 19th May, Selfridges confirmed that they have now stopped selling all real fur. A year long campaign saw the various Selfridges stores including Manchester, Birmingham and London being picketed, a concerted customer complaints campaign, and associated actions.
Victory: Selfridges take on "No Fur" policy | Selfridges Day of Action Rocks Birmingham | Fur Cough | Campaign Against the Fur Trade |
Sequani Besieged by Surprise Action
24-05-2005 12:08
As the world day for laboratory animals march in Dover was effectively rendered pointless by the police and council in Dover leading to the march being postponed, animal activists from all over the Midlands decided to hold their own unadvertised 'Day of Action for the Animals'.
The Stop Sequani Animal Testing campaign, including activists from West Midlands Animal Action and Save the Newchurch Guinea pigs amongst others held a surprise demo at Sequani animal testing labs in Ledbury followed by Gateway to Hell campaign demos in Worcester.
Plans for Primate Lab Abandoned in Holland
04-05-2005 18:42
Maastricht - The University of Maastricht cancelled the building of a primate vivisection lab because it is too expensive and they are afraid of actions against the primate centre by animal rights activists.
The request to build a new primate centre was initially presented by neuro-psychologist P. de Weerd. He recently received a subsidy of 1.25 million euros for research into the influence of genes and the nervous system and sense perception/learning. One part of this reasearch is taking tissue samples of the brains of Rhesus monkeys.
Until Every Cage is Empty
30-03-2005 23:38
March 19th, Yorkshire. A noisy march made a 2 mile journey through Harrogate, Yorkshire making its way to the site of Covance, where a new primate lab is reportedly planned. The march was accompanied by a huge police presence.
Five years after 64 beagle dogs were killed in experiments by the company, the march had a two fold significance: to draw attention to the ever expanding Covance site and their plans for primate specialisation and to mark the 5th anniversary of the demise of these innocent victims of corporate madness.
One Law For The Rich...
16-01-2005 02:55
"He just went mental. First he was throwing a bucket full of liquid at us and then he started attacking us. He even drove after us to smash the back window of the car" Hunt saboteur.
Four women protesting against the Crawley and Horsham Hunt in West Sussex were seriously injured last weekend (8th Jan) after a hunt supporter attacked them with a wooden pole. The attack is the latest of numerous violent assaults against hunt saboteurs.
On new year's day a 9 week pregnant saboteur was taken to hospital after she was whipped by a rider and ridden over. Two days later another saboteur was awoken by an explosion to find his diesel van engulfed in flames.
In december last year in Essex a saboteur was ridden over by a hunt supporter, sustaining an injury to her back, whilst two sabs were arrested, reports suggest, for aggravated trespass.
Activist Imprisoned for Shouting
10-10-2004 13:39
On Friday 1st October Andrew Davies received an unexpected 28 day custodial sentence and also an indefinite Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) after a trial at Burton-upon-Trent magistrates. Andy was arrested under Section 4a Public Order Act ("intentionally causing harrasment, alarm or distress") for standing and shouting outside a worker's house of Newchurch Guinea Pig farm, where thousands of guinea pigs are bred for the vivisection industry.
Shocked as he was he at the severity of the sentence (essentially for having an argument with Newchurch Farm worker on the validity of animal experimentation) he is in good spirits and awaits your letters.
New Prisoner Andrew Davies- solidarity now! | Vegan prisoner support group | Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs
Mad Boffins On The Run
09-08-2004 19:03
Last month was not a good one for Oxford University. It started with the announcement of a day of action against their annual AGM . Normally a day full of events it turned out to be a damp squib. When activists turned up, they found that most things had been locked down by the University itself.
Then, there was a 48 hour hunger strike by the 85 year old veteran animal rights campaigner Joan Court. Joan was protesting against the University's building of a new animal laboratory on South Parks Road, which is going to have a strong focus on primate research. From 10am Wednesday morning to 10am on Friday, Joan remained outside the building site for her fast. She was kept company at all times with people coming down to bring supplies and support. Meanwhile an attempt to suppress people from leafletting colleges by having them arrested for burglary failed as the charges were dropped.
For the last two months there have been demos outside the offices of Ready Mix Concrete in Rugby by activists protesting their involvement with Oxford University. RMC also had a problem with combustibles 'spontaneously igniting'. [Press release]. The world's biggest concrete company has now pulled out of the project, another blow to plans for the laboratory after building company Montpellier PLC and it's subsidiary Walter Lilly & Co made a similar announcement.
Bad Week for Oxford Uni & RMC | 85 Year Old To Go On Hunger Strike | SPEAK Press Release on Montpellier Pullout | ALF Press Release on RMC Attacks | Protests Force RMC to Quit Lab Project (repost)
Fisher Scientific Embarrassed Over Links with HLS
03-06-2004 01:04
"Not many people stopped at the stall whilst we were there."
A group of activists found out that a supplier of Huntington Life Sciences, Fisher Scientific, were to be holding a exhibition/stall in the Foyer of the Environmental Science Building at Lancaster University so went to give them some company.
Fisher Scientific supplies lab equipment to Huntington Life Sciences in Cambridgeshire. It has been requested that the company sever its links with HLS but they have so far refused. A group of people took some leaflets and a banner and set up next to their stall, much to the dismay of the staff at the stall.
Full story | HLS Injunction to go to Full Trial | SHAC World Day for Lab Animals | Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Hunt Saboteur Wins Pay Out
17-05-2004 11:36
"Here we see a clear-cut case of the police acting simply on the word of the bloodsports fraternity, and not stopping for one minute to consider the evidence in the matter. 11 people in total were deprived of their liberty, with the average time held 10 hours." Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson
A hunt saboteur has agreed to a settlement of £5,500 from Wiltshire Constabulary in respect of a claim for wrongful arrest and subsequent false imprisonment. The arrest took place at Ham, near Hungerford, and the saboteur was one of a group of 11 protesters who located a pheasant shoot and used non-violent direct action to prevent further shooting. The hunt saboteur was arrested by police who attended the scene after the shoot had packed up for lunch. All protesters present were arrested on 'Suspicion of ABH' and held for an average of 10 hours at Swindon West Lea Police Station.
SHAC World Day for Lab Animals
19-04-2004 02:13
The march was organised by the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign, formed to force the closure of Huntingdon Life Sciences.
Fur Cough
25-03-2004 20:08
Harvey Nichols owns 5 shops in the UK and animal rights groups protested outside them for months as they sold clothes made of rabbit, fox and raccoon fur. A few days before a national day of action, the company officially withdrew all its fur and announced that it would not be selling it again.
Manchester's Campaign Against the Fur Trade group have been involved in a national campaign that has relentlessly targetted this company. Every Saturday, protestors peacefully stood outside, handing out leaflets and talking to shoppers, encouraging them to complain to the management about the fur inside the shop.
Report | Manchester Animal Protection | Campaign Against the Fur Trade | Worcester: PIA Shoes Ditch the Fur
Curtains for Girton Primate Lab
05-02-2004 16:41
Cambridge University has decided to withdraw plans to build Europe's largest primate research centre. The decision is a significant victory for animal rights campaigners. The facility was intended to be used for experiments on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. Thousands of animals would have suffered and died in cruel experiments.
During the planning stages, Cambridge University refused to listen to opposition to the proposed lab from Cambridge District Council, the police and local residents but were unable to ignore the mounting pressure recently applied to prevent it from being developed. On two separate occasions, Cambridge District Council dismissed the planning application made by the University. The Government then instigated an independent planning enquiry which once again resulted in the refusal for planning permission. Despite the opposition and recommendations, the Government chose to give the go ahead to the plans.
Plans For Cambridge Primate Prison Dropped | Animal rights victory | SchNews: Primate Change
Previous Reports:
A loud "NO" to primate experiments | Demo and direct action against the Cambridge primate lab
Hunt Master fell while attacking saboteurs
27-01-2004 23:48
The week before a hunt saboteur was taken unconscious to hospital with head injuries and bruising to his body after being ridden down at the Crawley and Horsham Hunt, also in Sussex. In recent weeks, Sussex police have been throwing huge police resources into targeting anti-hunt protestors whose 'crimes' are to spray harmless scent dullers, shout and blow hunting horns. 'Turning a blind eye' is a phrase gaining increasing currency when talking about Sussex Police as they are seemingly indifferent to any law breaking or violent behaviour carried out by the hunt.
Demo and direct action against the Cambridge primate lab
12-01-2004 21:34
Animal Liberation Front Raid Wickham Laboratories
01-01-2004 20:20
Hampshire, 17.12.2003
Mice liberated from botox experiments early Sunday morning by the Animal Liberation Front.
The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) today claimed responsibilty for a raid at the infamous Wickham Laboratories through internet site biteback.info.
The raid that occured in the early morning hours of Sunday saw hundreds of mice whisked away from the lab near Fareham to safe homes. The number of mice is not known at the moment with the BBC estimating 406 while the ALF themselves quoting over 700.
Asahi Glass Protesters Harassed by Police
01-01-2004 00:00
Thornton, Lancaster, 22.11.2003. An Asahi Glass, demonstration that had been arranged with the Lancashire Police as under the terms of a court injunction (see www.shac.net) was harassed today by around 25 police officers.
The Lancaster Animal Rights Group, (LARG) which arranged the demonstration, was first spied upon by police officers from behind their unmarked police car door. Their attempt to photograph the protesters was spotted and thwarted (by holding plackards in their way).
According to LARG, Ashashi Glass are a customer of Huntingdon Life Sciences who pay to have 8 week old beagle puppies tortured.
Later in December some smart manouvering by Fleetwood Animal Right's Alliance meant their protest went ahead unhindered by a court injunction or police and bailiffs.
"March Against the Murderers"
28-12-2003 00:00
Huntingdon, Sat Dec 6th. Around 400 people assembled in Huntingdon with one purpose – to give a clear message that institutionalised animal torture will not be tolerated.
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.
A loud "NO" to primate experiments
28-10-2003 19:20
About 1000 people marched through the centre of Cambridge this afternoon in an angry (but never violent) show of outrage at Cambridge University's continuing attempts to gain planning permission for a new primate laboratory on Huntingdon Road, and the incredible suffering that this would no doubt involve in the name of scientific research.
McDonalds Empire Collapses - the evidence
25-10-2003 18:16
NotDonald's Street Cafe opened outside a branch of everybodies least favourite 'food' outlet on Oxford Road, Manchester, 18th October.
Free veggie burgers, with a selection of condiments and salad in a wholemeal bun were distributed to passing Mancunians, as the envoys of Ronalds evil empire could only look on in despair.
Says 'antimac', "The funny thing was people really didnt wanna take the free food at first, they looked very suspicious and asked if it was meat, or if it was lentels, but after a queue formed, loads of people started wanting them! How british is that!"
Story, pix and videos
Ronald gets hassled by the cops [ pictures]