SPEAK given leave to appeal against the draconian injunction

On Thursday 10th February, the Court of Appeal gave SPEAK leave to appeal against the Injunction issued in the High Court on November 10th 2004.

Speak welcomes this decision and will once again be vigorously defending the right of every individual to legally campaign against something they find morally and scientifically objectionable. The Labour government have become increasingly dictatorial in their attitude towards those seeking to disseminate the truth about government lies and their collaboration with Oxford University and the pharmaceutical industry. It is no secret that the government is trying to sell the UK as the bastion of scientific excellence in research; this is why they are putting their resources into the Oxford scheme with such determination, which is even more important to them now given the fact that they suffered such a heavy defeat at Cambridge.

It is ironic that Oxford University have often stated that they are a bastion of free speech, given the fact that they had initially sought an injunction which in its original form would have effectively banned anyone issued with the order from entering the City of Oxford. Despite their best efforts at securing such a draconian injunction, the defence mounted by SPEAK's legal representatives thwarted their more outrageous plans. However, backed by the injunction as it stands, representatives of the University have issued their own students with the order merely because they were seen to stop and talk to campaigners at the weekly site demonstrations.

Such a clear infringement on individual liberties by the University towards their own, only serves to show their true colours. The injunction was sought by Oxford for one reason and one reason alone - to try and muzzle a legal campaign opposed to their proposals for a new animal research laboratory - a campaign which had effectively highlighted the lies and misinformation disseminated to the British public by the University, and indeed, beyond, by the government itself (a government, lest we forget, that had promised to reduce animal experiments in its first term of office...)

It is manifestly obvious that no injunction can prevent illegal action - illegal action by its very nature flies in the face of all things legal; it cannot prevent an unknown group of people from breaking the law. What this injunction has done is to restrict a legal campaign from operating within a legal framework - something which should never happen in a true democracy.

However, despite the attempts by Oxford University to misuse the judicial system and attempt to restrict a legal campaign, SPEAK has been going from strength to strength since injunctive relief was granted with more and more people joining the campaign against the new lab, with overwhelming support from the public especially in Oxford.

SPEAK are looking forward to our day in court. We believe in people's right to free speech, we believe in the right of individuals to hold opinions of their own and we believe in their right to protest against what they see as wrong. If granted, the injunction will be a first concrete sign of what we already know - that those rights are being eroded by the collusion of various influential bodies - in this case, the government, pharmaceutical industry and Oxford University.

The fight for the rights of animals has also become a fight for people's right to demonstrate and campaign in a climate that encourages freedom of speech; SPEAK intends to vigorously oppose all attempts to limit people's freedoms as a part of its campaign against all forms of animal abuse. We welcome all those who join us in this fight.