Freedom of Species

On this show we discuss Disrupt Land Forces, the coalition of community groups who created a week long festival of resistance bringing diverse actionists and tactics into the joined struggle against the arms trade.   Land Forces is the largest land based weapons expo in the Southern Hemisphere, and it was held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre in Naarm/Melbourne in September 2024. Protestors were met with excessive use of force by police including the use of OC spray, rubber bullets, flash-bangs, physical violence and riding horses into the crowd resulting in injuries.    Links to the event and media discussed on the show:  Disrupt Land Forces website https://disruptlandforces.org/  3CR's coverage of Disrupt Land Forces 2024 https://www.3cr.org.au/dlf2024  Channel 7 news coverage https://www.youtube.com/watch/UIJ_Dpjv3S4  Melbourne Activiist Legal Support (MALS) Media Statement: Grossly excessive policing of protestors likely infringed on human rights https://mals.au/2024/09/11/media-statement-grossly-excessive-policing-of-protesters-likely-infringed-on-human-rights/    Other topics and links:  Wild Country Farm Sanctuary (Texas, USA) Instagram's post: Gaza and the Price of Silience: Selective Compassion Exposing the Colonizer Mindset in Animal Rights Advocacy  https://www.instagram.com/p/C_y7GafJ1X3/?igsh=MWhxb3h2MW0yOGJpZw== Total Liberation Records Nights Out: Standing up to Slaughterhouses (contains info on the 269 Liberation Animale benefit compilation and some Bandcamp codes) https://www.instagram.com/p/C_2YoESCGRI/?igsh=MW5vaTExbTZyM3F5bQ== Banksy's animal series removed by London zoo https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/aug/18/final-artwork-in-banksy-animal-series-removed-by-london-zoo  New research on vegan diets for dogs and the associated benefits from an Australian study by Dr Andrew Knight https://www.9news.com.au/national/vegan-diets-actually-good-for-dogs-australian-study-finds/e8255b5d-fb4d-40c0-a86b-5dff32d29f12   Veterinarian Andrew Knight’s website on vegan pets: https://sustainablepetfood.info/     Music:     Verdalet and Crowns of Esper from Suldusk's album Anthesis.     Animal in Man by Dead Prez.        Thank you for listening to Freedom of Species. We welcome your feedback. Please email us at freedomofspecies@gmail.com

In today’s show Betty and Trev take us through the diverse ecosystems of Palestine, the meeting point of three continents. We discuss the agricultural history and the impact of Zionist occupation and land use changes on the landscapes and animals of Palestine.  Music played:Rasha Nahas 'Desert' - https://rashanahas.bandcamp.com/album/desertDaniel Kahn 'Oy, Ir Narishe Tsienistn' - https://aurismedia.bandcamp.com/album/the-unternationale-the-first-unternationalDAM 'Min Imhabi' - https://open.spotify.com/album/6gBrqhOboMpHdfc2dIAFCw  DAM - Min Imhabi English Lyrics Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcHRW14K2SM  Support Mutual Aid in Gaza: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mutual-aid-in-gaza?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet_ai&utm_content=amp1v3&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=whatsapp  Disrupt Land Forces 2024: https://disruptlandforces.org/  References and further reading:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/06/palestine-gaza-west-bank-nature-birds-birdwatching-aoe  https://e360.yale.edu/features/in-israel-questions-are-raised-about-a-forest-that-rises-from-the-desert  https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/jerusalem-forest-fire-kindle-Palestinian-dreams-return  https://marcus.uib.no/exhibition/mer-enn-det-humanitare-blikket/no/eucalyptus-in-gaza-a-tragedy-in-hula-valley  https://q.sustainability.illinois.edu/the-dead-sea-palestine-connection/#:~:text=Dead%20Sea%20water%20levels%20have,and%20will%20continue%20to%20be.  https://www.leftvoice.org/a-brief-history-of-anti-zionist-jews/  Finkelstein, Aria Ritz, “Nature of the Nagev: Assessing a National Experiment in Drylands Afforestation.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014).  Isaac, Jad, and Stephen Gasteyer. "The issue of biodiversity in Palestine." Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem, Palestine 1 (1995): 1-15.  Rotem, Guy, Amos Bouskila, and Alon Rothschild. "Ecological effects of afforestation in the northern Negev." Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel (2014).  Schiller, Gabriel. "The case of Yatir forest." Forest Management and the Water Cycle: An Ecosystem-Based Approach (2011): 163-186.  Temper, Leah. "Creating facts on the ground: Agriculture in Israel and Palestine (1882-2000)." Historia agraria: Revista de agricultura e historia rural 48 (2009): 75-110.  Ghattas, Roubina, Nader Hrimat, and Jad Isaac. Forests in Palestine. Applied research Institute, 2002.

On this show we welcome back Zane McNeill to discuss their new edited collection: Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontline of Labor and Animal Rights (published by Peter Lang, 2024). This incredible collection of contributions from activists and scholars about the structures of violence and oppression that are shared by human and non-human labourers working and dying in necropolitical facilities. The book also asks readers to consider the intersection between class and species, race, gender and other categories of oppression, and the ways that the contemporary Animal Activist Non-profit Sector (AANS) upholds hierarchies in its mission towards animal liberation. There are some powerful examples of successful social and political campaigns that we can draw from and that can help us to build strategic alliances and coalitions between social movements and political subjects.    Zane McNeill is a scholar-activist, 15-year vegan, and National Lawyers Guild’s Animal Liberation Committee chair. They have worked closely with the Institute of Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) and have published chapters in ICAS collections, including Vegans on Speciesism and Ableism: Ecoability Voices for Disability and Animal Justice and Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination: Essays on Solidarity and Total Liberation. He has also edited Queer and Trans Voices: Achieving Liberation Through Consistent Anti-Oppression, Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism, and Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights.     The music we played on the show:  Álmatlanság by Magashegyi Underground L by Laveda I exist, I exist, I exist by Flatsound

Would aliens treat us the way we treat animals? If aliens landed today and we made first contact, what would be the outcome for us? Could we justify expecting compassionate treatment from a technologically superior civilisation when we ourselves cannot show this compassion for those we see as inferior?  Meg delves into the idea of first contact in all its manifestations, how this might go for us, and how the knowledge we are not alone might change our ideas of all life on earth and how we treat that life.  Music by Remains to be Seen https://remainstobeseen.bandcamp.com/album/touchless https://deathforms.com/df-artists/remains-to-be-seen/ Songs 1. Take the time https://remainstobeseen.bandcamp.com/track/take-the-time 2. Darkroom https://remainstobeseen.bandcamp.com/track/darkroom3. Locket https://remainstobeseen.bandcamp.com/track/locket-2  Artwork by vegan artist Wren

Trigger warning: this show includes discussion about violence, drugs, and suicide.  On this show we discuss prison abolition, the links to animal rights, and abolitionist alternatives.   Links: Angela Y. Davis's book: Are Prisons Obsolete? https://www.akpress.org/areprisonsobsolete.html Clementine Morrigan substack blog: https://www.clementinemorrigan.com/ Clementine Morrigan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clementinemorrigan?igsh=Y2VpM3c3b2QxY2N0 For Harriet interview with Professor Leigh Goldmark. What should happen to abusers if we don't lock them up? https://youtu.be/vmZqyYFudVg?si=mL6j_FiZ1mAIX0kf Leigh Goodmark's book: Decriminalizing Domestic Violence: A Balanced Policy Approach to Intimate Partner Violence https://leighgoodmark.com/product/decriminalizing-domestic-violence Blog post 'The Parallels Between Zoos And Prisons' summarising the work of Kelly Struthers Montford: https://faunalytics.org/parallels-zoos-prisons/ Blog post 'Why Vegans should care about Prison Abolition' by Alyse Toulouse https://www.peacefuldumpling.com/opinion-why-vegans-should-care-about-prison-abolition Blog post 'Prison treates me like an animal. I write to reclaim my humanity' by Tony D. Vick https://truthout.org/articles/prison-treats-me-like-an-animal-i-write-to-reclaim-my-humanity/    Previous related Freedom of Species show on prisons and animals, featuring Jess Ison: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode-201806031300/jess-ison-%E2%80%93-prisons-and-animals   Music we played: The Ungovernable Farce by Conflict. Letter to the Free by Common featuring Bilal. Me time by Stic.   If the themes of today's show cause distress, please consider accessing support via Lifeline Australia https://www.lifeline.org.au/  Thank you for listening to Freedom of Species. Please contact us with any feedback on our shows at freedomofspecies@gmail.com

In light of the recent legislation to end Australia's live sheep trade by May 2028, Nick and Adam reflect on the history of the stop live export campaign. More specifically, the show covers: alliances between animal activists and slaughterhouse workers, “animal nationalism” and debates about the campaign within the movement. We discuss what animal activists can learn from this history, regardless of which campaign/s they’re focused on.   When we discuss the history of the campaign, we primarily draw on Gonzalo Villanueva’s book – A Transnational History of the Australian Animal Movement, 1970–2015: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319625867  Additional links: Corey Wrenn’s essay – Banning Live Export in Australia: https://www.coreyleewrenn.com/banning-live-export-in-australia/ Colin Salter’s talk – Normativity, Intersectionality and States of Exception: https://archive.org/details/ColinSalter Check out Adam’s Spotify playlist – Animal Lib & Vegan Songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hVygGomw9zax38quC6mhi?si=c14b3a19ccf74d67   Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Pig by Weezer: https://weezer.lnk.to/music Seoul by Shoreline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCxBdmVVlt8&pp=ygUQc2hvcmVsaW5lIHNlb3VsIA%3D%3D Dirty work by Ruby Gill: https://rubygill.bandcamp.com/track/dirty-work

In this discussion, Dr. Eileen Crist, a professor emerita in Science, Technology and Society at Virginia Tech, delves into the troubling concept of anthropocentrism, which positions humans as the planet's paramount species. She traces its historical roots and explores its dire consequences, from ecological destruction to mass extinction. The conversation shifts towards alternatives like ecocentrism, emphasizing the intrinsic value of nature and the need for a shift in worldview. Dr. Crist inspires hope for collective action to dismantle human supremacy.

Meg and guest Lydia Lobb discuss just how pervasive and insidious animal exploitation paradigms are in our education systems at all levels. From kinder milk programs to rodeo fundraisers and free fishing rods, animal exploitation seems to be baked into our education system in Australia. We talk about many examples and the difficulties of navigating the system when raising compassionate kids.  Have things gotten better over time? What was it like for our generation? Our parents generation? And will it become better for future generations?  Music: Human Race by Baby Blue https://babybluemelbourne.bandcamp.com/track/human-race September by Earth, Wind and Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk What about the Children by Gary Clark Jr and Stevie Wonder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7B5wg93jd8  Image courtesy of Note Thanum on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/group-of-people-wearing-white-and-orange-backpacks-walking-on-gray-concrete-pavement-during-daytime-CYlPykF-qAM

In today’s show, Betty and Nick launch into part 2 about the animals and ecosystems in and around the Korean Demilitarized Zone. We share some history of how and why the DMZ barrier was reinforced and the relationship between landmines, the ecology and civilians in the area. We share the story of how a pre-industrial rice paddy irrigation pond is providing habitats for a variety of species and why the future of this zone still remains so uncertain. We discuss different theories of peace and how animal survival is often in conflict with capitalist interests.  Links: Part 1 of this series on wildlife in the Korean DMZ: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/between-ideologies-wildlife-korean-dmz-part-1 Book referenced: Making Peace with Nature: Ecological Encounters Along the Korean DMZ. Eleana J. Kim, 2022. DMZ Ecology Research Institute Website: https://dmz.or.kr/ You can find out more information and book a free ticket to the launch of Emma Hakansson's book Sub-Human here: https://www.readings.com.au/events/book-launch-sub-human  Music played: Night Shift in Light of a factory - Nochatsa: The Song Searchers. Original Performance of ‘Light of a Factory’ from 1978 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMeDIHG0WAc 그래, 나는 386이다 - Ahn Chi Hwan. Morning Dew - Various artists.

In today’s show Betty and Trev talk about the accidental wildlife reserve that has emerged inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone. We talk about the history leading up to Korea’s national division and the story of a bird that connected a separated family by flying over the border. We finish with the story of some unexpected WWII heroes from the Tiwi Islands. Tune in next week for Part 2. Book referenced: Making Peace with Nature: Ecological Encounters Along the Korean DMZ. Eleana J. Kim, 2022 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands website: https://www.ramsar.org/country-profile/democratic-peoples-republic-korea  Music Played: Ahn Ye Eun 'Song of Cell No. 8' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITDlWk_8QQY MayTree 'Facing the Barbed Wire Fence' https://open.spotify.com/album/4iqh4YNZSUwCl04FXPjxgX Crying Nut 'The Thousand -League Road' https://music.apple.com/gb/album/morning-dew-50th-anniversary-tribute-to-kim-min-gi-vol-4-ep/1574173450  Photo: Park Jongwoo