SPEAKing out in the face of masked builders and police intimidation

The latest phase in the fight against the Oxford animal lab has shown just how fundamentally important this battle has become. Oxford University who repeatedly tell the world they believe in ‘free speech’, have resorted to using construction workers wearing masks and a police force in Thames Valley who for all intense and purpose’s have allowed themselves to operate as a private security arm of Oxford University. Supporters of the SPEAK campaign have been putting themselves in the front line, in this battle for the Freedom of animals to live a life free from pain and suffering and the Freedom for individuals to exercise their democratic right to protest.

On Wednesday the 21st and Thursday the 22nd December activists once again brought their protest to the edge of the exclusion zone and close to where the masked figures trying to turn the building site on South Parks Rd into a fortress are operating. The sheer number of Thames Valley police officers drafted in, in order to guard this torture centre should act as a reminder to us all that the only response the university and the Government have to those armed with compassion and sound argument is to try and stamp out any dissent.

Despite the best efforts of the police and security guards the activists stood their ground and the reactions of some of the workers to the constant noise clearly demonstrated that not all of them are comfortable with knowing the truth about their involvement in building this centre of animal suffering. Section 14 orders were used to try and silence activists including one order that stated there should be “no repetitive chanting, shouting or other noise that could cause workers to feel alarm or distress.” This order apparently doesn’t stop masked workers from making threatening gestures or Thames Valley police officers from physically pushing people around.

Demonstrators broke off into smaller groups to continue the protests at other sites connected to Oxford University and made sure that the message reached many more people in Oxford. This clearly angered the police as they then vented their anger at the end of the day by dragging one protester from his car as he tried to leave the area, a clear case of intimidation as no charges were brought against the individual concerned.

It is obvious that the only response Oxford University and Thames Valley Police have to legitimate protest is to use intimidation as a weapon. We will not bow to such tactics and furthermore we are growing in our determination to stand up to their bully boy tactics. The fight over the partially built animal lab has ramifications far beyond the fences and concrete structure on South Parks Rd – It’s about the future of a flawed scientific practice that involves the maiming and killing of millions of sentient creatures every year and equally our democratic right to speak out against such injustice and act in defence of the voiceless.

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