by Onion / Earth First! Journal
The struggle against the despicable behavior of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) and their supporters has been going on for fifteen years with many measurable victories. Unfortunately, along with each victory comes a round of increased repression by the corporation’s protectors, also known as government. Instead of passing laws restricting the torture of animals in product testing, the governments of the UK and US have both made it harder for activists to draw attention to these atrocities. This has been done in the UK through the passing of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA), passed in 2005, specifically section 145. SOCPA 145 applies only to anti-vivisection campaigners and turns minor public order breaches into serious criminal offenses. If an offense is committed while in the act of campaigning against animal testing, instead of being convicted of that offense, you can now be convicted of SOCPA – and face up to 5 years imprisonment. Similar to the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) in the US, these laws are passed for the benefit of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and insure that anyone trying to fight for the rights of animals faces harsh penalties.
Dozens of activists have suffered because of these harsh laws, with nonviolent offenders receiving harsh jail sentences while murdering psychopaths continue to torture animals for profit. Money, as usual, is placed above the lives of humans and animals. A glaring example of this occurred in May of 2012, when three people were arrested for a protest at a supplier of HLS. All three were accused of violating SCOPA 145 and released with harsh bail conditions, including a ban on protesting against HLS. Over the next nine months, another person was arrested, new bail conditions were continuously set, and yet the four were never charged with a crime.
In January of the following year, six people (including the four already on bail) had their private dwellings raided and were arrested for conspiracy to commit SOCPA 145 and 146 in relation to SHAC, between October 2011 – June 2012. The conspiracy covered 25 incidents, including the protest the four suspects were already out on bail for (which was dropped as an individual charge).The six were all bailed out again, as was a seventh person who was arrested on the same charges a short time later.
After rough treatment at the hands of the police, including the breaking of personal belongings, confiscation of items that had nothing to do with the charges, and harassment of friends and neighbors, in June of 2013 the activists were finally formally charged with SOCPA 145.
The SOCPA7 (as the group is officially known) are set to go to trial on the 22nd of September, 2014. Despite the so-called masses of evidence and fancy legal terminology, the only thing the defendants are accused of doing themselves is taking part in protests. The incidents consist of 23 protests and 2 acts of direct action. The defendants are alleged to have attended some of the protests, but there is no evidence that they had involvement or knowledge of the direct action. Some of the defendants only attended a couple of protests.
These tactics being used by the governments of both the UK and US are intended to scare us. In some ways they are working, but those of us in it for the long haul know that they won’t succeed. We survive because of our solidarity, something people in power continuously underestimate. Right now, Debbie, Lorna, Emma, Emily, Alexis, Steve, and Anton need our help with everything from awareness raising to fund raising. Sticking together is the only way we will ever defeat the money hungry monsters who continue to ruin thousands of lives for a few extra bucks.
For more information on the case or to make a donation visit the SOCPA7 page.