You reap what you sow.
That seems to be the lesson corporations and the government should take away from the prosecution of activists on “animal enterprise terrorism” charges for running a website. The activists, dubbed the SHAC 7, weren’t accused of breaking windows, gluing locks or rescuing animals from labs– but they unapologetically supported those who did. Industry groups said the prosecution of the SHAC 7, and the recent passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, would deter illegal actions in the name of protecting animals and the environment.
So much for that.
There was yet another illegal action claimed by the Animal Liberation Front this week and dedicated to the SHAC 7. From the anonymous communiqué published by Bite Back Magazine:
Greetings from México.
Two FLA (Frente de Liberación Animal) strikes very early this morning in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
The first target was a big fur store, where all locks and doors were glued, threw paint bombs and wrote “Frente de Liberación Animal”, “Muerte” and “Cada Piel es una Muerte”.
The second target was a KFC, that was painted with paint bombs.In Support of all ALF and ELF cells and dedicated to the SHAC 7.
This fight for life won’t end until the day we die.
Vegan Revolution!
This is in addition to other acts of sabotage dedicated to the imprisoned activists.
The conviction of activists on “terrorism” charges for First Amendment activity seems to have fueled the campaigns of aboveground groups as well. The “SHAC 7 Week of Action” in the United States last week featured protests in Denver, Salt Lake City, New York, Long Island, Philadelphia, D.C., Portland, Los Angeles and Tampa at the homes and offices of those who do business with Huntingdon Life Sciences, the controversial animal testing laboratory.
From CloseHLS.net:
The SHAC-7 Week of Action has concluded with an amazing showing of strength for the U.S. campaign against HLS, and an amazing showing of support for the SHAC-7. Over 130 activists in 9 different U.S. cities took to the homes and business of HLS supporters in independently organized demonstrations against HLS associates Merck, AstraZeneca, Wyeth, Pfizer, Phenomenex, Wachovia Securities, OSI Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Vital Trust, Huntsman Corp., and more.
Also notable is that these demonstrations all took place a mere week after the passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act – a bill the government thought would scare all of us out of continuing to exercise our First Amendment rights to the fullest in order to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences. The campaign against HLS continues to grow stronger as major HLS customers and suppliers are hammered in cities across the U.S. and across the globe, with many cities planning more demos in the upcoming weeks before Christmas.
There’s also a slideshow of the protests, appropriately accompanied by Johnny Cash singing “I wont’ back down.”