The Animal Liberation Front versus a 16 year old

Animal rights extremists are finally discovering some opposition. Not from the government, whose planned amendments to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill are likely to have no impact on the extremists, but from a sixteen year old boy and two Oxford academics.

Professor Tipu Aziz, a consultant neurosurgeon, and Professor John Stein, a neurophysiologist, addressed a rally in Oxford on Saturday to demonstrate support for the construction of a new laboratory. The rally was organised by Laurie Pycroft, a slightly geeky looking 16 year old, who founded Pro-Test group.

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) have recently upped the level of violence and intimidation declaring that anyone in Oxford is a legitimate target.

The ALF has a history of intimidation and violence. As Davina would say, here are some of your best moments -

i) The Big Issue magazine announced that it would no longer publish advertisements for a major pharmaceutical research company because one of its vendors was attacked by an animal rights activist.

ii) Animal rights extremists desecrate the burial ground of 82-year-old Gladys Hammond. Police fear relatives will be next. Sources with the Animal Liberation Front refuse to condemn the macabre act

iii) Leapfrog Day Nurseries, a children's nursery has become the latest target of animal rights threats, forcing it to stop providing child care vouchers to parents working for the animal testing group Huntingdon Life Sciences.

iv) Animal rights activists have launched a fresh wave of attacks, targeting a senior pharmaceutical executive and an Oxford College. The ALF claimed responsibility yesterday for a device left outside the home of Paul Blackburn, the corporate controller of Britain's biggest pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline.

v) Animal rights activists visited the home of a senior pharmaceutical executive in Switzerland and slashed his car tyres because he is a customer of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). The Biteback website, used as a bulletin board by the ALF, says activists visited Mr Holdener's home and stripped his car of paint, slashed his tyres, painted the garage door and wrote across it in paint "drop HLS, animal killer, ALF".

vi) A family that breeds guinea pigs for medical research announced yesterday that it was to close its farm, Darley Oaks in Satffordshire, in a final attempt to get back the remains of a body that was dug up by animal rights extremists.

vii) Visit Bite Back (their website) for a taste of what a total bunch of nutters these people are. Bite Back conveniently sorts articles by the following categories; vandalism, arson, violence, prisoners, fire and theft. Take your pick.

This is what they have to say about companies that help build the research lab.
"Last week almost 100 letters were anonymously mailed out to companies who have in the past donated money to Oxford University. The letter warned that these companies had 1 week to pull the plug and announce that they will NEVER AGAIN send money to the university. They were warned that if they did not do this they would have their offices trashed and the homes of their directors, employees and/or trustees would be attacked. They were also advised that their details would be sent out over the internet to other animal rights activists. More than a week has passed and it has been noted that several organisations have made it public that they will not be funding the university in future. Any company who has not made an announcement can now expect full attention from the Animal Liberation Front. It's not going to be pretty."

Give Pro-Test your 100% support.

Update I ; Niki Shisler writes up the demo at Harry's Place