The head of a prominent pro-vivisection group in England published an op-ed opposing bans on animal rights activism in the name of combating “extremism.”
The construction of the Oxford University Biomedical Research Facility has turned into an all-out war between animal rights activists and animal researchers.
The university has already banned activists from entering a 50-yard exclusion zone around the lab unless protests of fewer than 25 people are pre-approved by police. Now the university wants to ban animal rights protests within the entire City of Oxford.
James Panton, who is on the organizing committee of Pro-Test, says:
Whether or not the university wins its case next month, its ongoing attempt to use legal injunctions to beat the animal rights activists, and the apparent willingness of the courts to award them, should concern all those who believe in democracy. This is not simply an issue for those who oppose vivisection. The implication of all these injunctions is that the right to demonstrate is transformed into a privilege granted – and therefore taken away – by the state.
Panton notes that cracking down on above-ground activists, ostensibly to deter illegal actions, does nothing to stop the crimes. If anything, it may prompt more activists to choose illegal tactics because traditional forms of protest and speech have been banned.