Novara FM: Your Neighbour Kills Puppies w/ Tom Harris
May 2, 2024
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Activist Tom Harris discusses the rise and fall of the UK's animal rights movement in the '00s, focusing on the failed attempt to shut down vivisection labs. They explore the effects of the war on terror, government intervention, and lessons for other movements.
Successful campaigns against vivisection led by UK activists in the '00s targeted laboratories like HLAs and saw shareholder divestment.
SHAC's secondary targeting tactics extended to accountants, lawyers, and clients of HLS, leading to financial turmoil.
Government crackdowns protected private companies like HLS, escalating with Operation Achilles and activists' blackmail charges.
Animal Liberation Movement's innovative tactics and lasting impacts on other movements showcase the complexities and controversies in activism.
Deep dives
The Rise of the Animal Liberation Movement
The Animal Liberation Movement gained momentum in the mid-1990s with a resurgence sparked by UK activists. Targeting vivisection, they succeeded in shutting down numerous laboratories, including Consort Bioservices and Hillgrove Family Farm. They set their sights on the largest animal testing lab, Huntington Life Sciences, leading to the formation of Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC).
The Tactics of SHAC and Secondary Targeting
SHAC adopted secondary targeting, aiming campaigns at not just HLAs but also its accountants, lawyers, shipping companies, and clients. These tactics proved successful, with shareholders divesting and the company facing financial turmoil. Their pressure led to HLS losing support and being dropped by stock exchanges, insurers, and banks.
Government Crackdown and Operation Achilles
Facing pressure from SHAC's campaigns, the government initiated a crackdown to protect private companies like HLS. Operation Achilles, involving 700 police officers in three countries, led to the arrest of 32 activists linked to the Animal Liberation Movement. They were charged with conspiracy to commit blackmail, marking a significant escalation in police actions.
Impact and Legacy of the Animal Liberation Movement
The activism of the Animal Liberation Movement and SHAC had lasting impacts, inspiring other movements like Palestine Action. Despite facing intense government crackdowns and negative media portrayal, the movement's tenacity and innovative tactics brought attention to animal rights issues and the use of pressure campaigning.
Challenges and Controversies
The movement faced challenges such as media smear campaigns, surveillance, and infiltration by informants like Adrian Radford. His actions, including staging attacks to provoke arrests, raised questions about police involvement and tactics. The controversial use of conspiracy to commit blackmail charges highlighted the complexities and controversies surrounding the movement's activism.
Legal Interpretation of Protests as Blackmail
Protests demanding the cessation of a business practice were controversially labeled as blackmail due to an interpretation of British law. The protesters' request involved ceasing to deal with a particular entity, threatening to expose this interaction as a form of menace. This legal view broadened the scope of what actions could be considered as blackmail, potentially affecting various campaigning efforts beyond the initial case.
Evolution of Animal Liberation Movements
The podcast explores the dynamic shifts within animal liberation movements, highlighting changes in focus and strategies over time. Initially viewed as a winnable cause, campaigns against animal testing faced challenges, leading to a resurgence in efforts targeting animal agriculture. New activist groups like DXE and Animal Rising are emphasizing environmental influences and applying pressure campaigns in these evolving movements, suggesting a potential reinvigoration of the push for animal rights.
In the ’00s, animal rights protestors nearly won their battle to ban vivisection in the UK, shutting down multiple breeding farms that were supplying laboratories with cats, dogs and guinea pigs. But at the last moment, the government made a dramatic U-turn, blocking their attempt to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences and throwing activists in […]
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