World Day for Laboratory Animals Demo – Saturday 19th April, 2008

Marching on for the Animals

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Over 700 supporters took to the streets in Oxford on Saturday

Amanda from SPEAK begins the proceedings

Andre Menache, scientific consultant for Antidote Europe talks about the scientific reasons against vivisection

New campaigner Alan gives his first animal rights speech

Emma from SPEAK delivered a message from Mel, co-founder of the campaign

Matthew Simpson, a graduate of Oxford University and a founder member of VERO (Voice for Ethical Research at Oxford) talks about historical figures form Oxford who opposed vivisection

Erica, a tireless supporter of the campaign, spoke very movingly about the fate of Felix, whose freedom we had been marching for the last time we were all together in Oxford

On Saturday 19th April, 2008, around 700 dedicated SPEAK Campaign supporters came to a very cold Oxford to commemorate World Day for Laboratory Animals, a United Nations recognized day of remembrance for the millions of innocent, sentient beings who are tortured killed in laboratories throughout the world.

With thoughts of all the named victims of the barbaric so-called scientists of Oxford on their mind, such as Felix, George, Jez and BJee, as well as the thousands upon thousands of unnamed ones, committed activists travelled the lengths and breadths of Britain, with others travelling from as far away as Switzerland, to join the fight against animal abuse at Oxford University.

New supporters, for many of whom this was their first demo, and activists who have been campaigning for many years came together in Oxpens Park where they heard rallying speeches from three dedicated campaigners before setting off on their march. Amanda from SPEAK began the proceedings with a rousing speech in which she told everyone about the stage the campaign is at and spoke of the important new phase that is opening up, targeting the Oxford tourist trade and asking people to boycott the city while the University engages in the brutalizing and killing of non consenting animals. Next, Andre Menache, scientific consultant for Antidote Europe, gave an excellent speech on the scientific reasons against vivisection and spoke of the possibilities of taking legal action against the vivisectors of Oxford who are carrying out experiments for which there are clear non animal research methods available. Finally, Alan, a great young activist giving his first demo speech, fired everyone up, rightly encouraging people to get angry and put that anger to positive use in the fight for the animals.

Spurred on by these great speeches, protesters lined up behind the SPEAK banner and set off on a march towards the city centre. The march was both loud, with megaphones and raised voices combined, and eye catching, with banners and placards displaying in both words and pictures the reasons for our campaign. Processing slowly through the busy streets of Oxford towards the new lab, the demonstrators could not have failed to be noticed by shoppers and tourists alike. The support received was great, with many hundreds of leaflets distributed, and several people were actually moved to join the demo.

The march passed through both shopping and university areas, stopping halfway down South Parks Road, in sight of the soon to be completed lab, where animals are due to be subjected to horrific suffering in cruel and worthless experiments. Three more campaigners who feel passionately about the cause took turns to speak to those assembled. First was Matthew Simpson, a graduate of Oxford University and a founder member of VERO (Voice for Ethical Research at Oxford), a group of Oxford ‘insiders’ who have had the courage to stand up and say that what their university is doing is wrong. Matthew welcomed SPEAK to the city of Oxford and, in a wonderfully powerful speech, spoke of leading opponents of vivisection at Oxford from the past, such as Edward Nicholson, who were willing to resign their posts due to their outrage at the practise. He made it clear that whereas this opposition from within has faded in the past, now it is here to stay. He was followed by Erica, a tireless supporter of the campaign, who spoke very movingly about the fate of Felix, whose freedom we had been marching for the last time we were all together there, but who had, unknown to us, already been brutally tortured and murdered in June 2007. Her words, in the form of a poem, clearly reinforced everyone’s determination not to allow the same fate to befall other beautiful, feeling creatures such as him. Finally, Emma from SPEAK delivered a message from Mel, co-founder of the campaign, whose determination to speak out for the animals and against the appalling abuses being perpetrated against them has made him a target for the combined forces of the university, their friends in high places and their lackeys in Thames Valley Police. Being held on remand, a political prisoner, imprisoned for his beliefs and his refusal to be silenced, Mel’s message of determination, encouragement and solidarity was welcomed with much applause from the crowd. Emma rounded the speeches off, praising everyone’s determination not to be bullied and intimidated by those powerful institutions who do not want us there and sending a clear message out – we are not going away until animal abuse at Oxford is consigned to the history books, where it belongs.

The march then set off again back towards Oxpens Park. As it turned into Broad Street it fell silent, save for the steady beat of a single drum, while those on the march and those standing watching reflected on the message of the day. As the protesters reached the end of Broad Street the procession erupted into sound again for the final stretch of the march back to Oxpens Park, where the day ended with Amanda encouraging everyone to play their part in the events the campaign has planned for the months ahead.

SPEAK would like to thank everyone who travelled to Oxford for the demo, it is thanks to the strength and determination of everyone there that this campaign WILL succeed in ending animal abuse at Oxford University. As our banner says, ‘it is for those who have a voice to SPEAK for those who have not’, and we at SPEAK will never give up our fight for the voiceless victims incarcerated inside the labs of Oxford.

To listen to and watch some of the day’s speeches visit: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2008/04/397202.html

A MESSAGE FROM MEL

Sat in my cell writing this has given me even more reason to look to the day when animals are truly given the rights and respect they deserve.

The closed world of this prison system, with its doors, bars and cameras, goes a long way to increasing the empathy I feel with the animal victims of Oxford University and other centres of animal abuse. Of course, compared to animals like Felix I am lucky. Whatever else my incarceration involves, it will not include the daily fear and suffering endured by millions of sentient animals inside institutions like Oxford University.

The apologists for animal abuse at Oxford University and elsewhere are busier than ever. As public disquiet grows at the exaggerated claims increasingly being made for animal research, the attacks on the animal rights movement grow ever more strident and aggressive. Make no mistake, scientists engaged in using and abusing animals are attempting to break free of any ethical restraints on the abuses they heap on non-consenting animals. They are also engaged in creating an atmosphere in which anyone who questions them or their scientific validity is immediately labelled a fanatic or extremist. This McCarthy like witch hunt from people who claim to represent scientific truth!

Of course, those engaged in fostering this climate of fear and those who enforce it are responsible for the violence and terror that animals in their millions are still enduring each day. But the animal rights movement must also look to itself if we are to succeed. Too many so called animal rights organisations have gone for the soft option. Celebrity endorsement and jokey campaigns cannot replace active grass roots activism based on rights, justice and ethics. Animals deserve better than the fickle ramblings of a few washed up celebrities and campaign careerists. The suffering of animals inside Oxford’s shameful animal abuse labs can only be ended by people like you. The animal abusers and their friends in the government will be only too happy for you to join up with one of the organisations that they deem acceptable or endorse, preferably one which would condemn grass roots activists at every opportunity. And while you wait for the next glossy celebrity endorsed magazine to drop through your letterbox the animal abusers can quietly be left to maim and kill millions of animals.

Or you can be what they don’t want you to be; an active voice for animals, prepared to be seen and heard on the streets of Oxford and elsewhere, directly confronting the negative and distorted propaganda pumped out by the animal abusers, using your own knowledge and skill to get the message to the public and not allowing the self appointed grandees of animal welfarism to undermine the real work of animal liberation.

SPEAK is entering its fifth year of fighting animal abuse at Oxford University. In that time it has survived numerous legal assaults in the High Court. Some have suffered physical assaults by arrogant servants of the university. The campaign has been subject to vilification and lies in the media and the attentions of a group of teenage ego-maniacs under the banner ‘Pro-test’. All of this, and more, is to be expected, and in some ways welcomed. The more extreme and desperate they become, the more you know you’re definitely doing the right thing. They don’t want you here today, they don’t want you here any day. They say they believe in free speech and the right to demonstrate whilst doing everything they can to stop it. Your presence here today and every day is a constant reminder that this isn’t going to go away. It’s not Oxford University or the police that will decide when this abuse of innocent animals ends, the public will, and they are turning against the animal killers because you are here and will continue to be here.

I’m sat here looking at the bars on my window and wondering what Felix would have thought. Like me, he would have wanted to be with the ones he loved and his family and friends. I have no doubt he would also have wondered why his world was so hostile and why those he trusted only caused him to fear more. I’m lucky, whatever happens to me I will one day see my family and friends outside the prison I now call home. But for Felix and the millions of other victims of so-called science there is no happy ending.

You can make the difference by continuing to stand up and speaking out. In fact, it’s your persistence and courage that are the most important and vital ingredients in achieving the most far reaching evolutionary step we as human beings will ever take. I wish I could have been there today, marching with you, but make no mistake, in every other way I am there and always will be.

Mel

‘ If I assume that animals have subjective feelings of pain, fear, hunger and the like, and if I am mistaken in doing so, no harm will have been done, but if I assume the contrary, when in fact animals do have such feelings, then I open the way to unlimited cruelties…’ - Mark Bekoff

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