Activism - activities

[Alistair]

On the weekend we held a movie fundraiser using ''An Inconvenient Truth''.

I wanted the focus to be on the impact that changing your diet from eating meat to veg has a massive impact on green house gas emissions.

Somehow that message got lost by another in the promotion - long story :grumble: - but there was the opportunity to give out leaflets and talk to people that we would not usually meet.

It would be good to do this kind of thing on a regular basis - just for the exposure. I want to start an Animal Liberation Movie Club. Gives us a social element and makes it possible to meet people in more civilised and unthreatening circumstances.

Dangerous animal activist pictured below...:laugh:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e148/veganblue/Activism/PalaceNova.jpg

[my3labs]

Did you host it at a movie theater or was it to raise money for the movie project?

[Alistair]

We hosted it at a friendly local theatre. The funds go into general revenue but will help go towards some of the printing costs.

I hate regularly squeezing our loyal members for funds - I would prefer that it came from the general populace that appreciate what we are doing - hence the Movie Club idea and making the tickets very reasonably priced - to get people to come along.

We *are* doing a video, but it is simply promotion of the organisation. I am wondering if it should be a campaign disc now since we are changing direction and have not done one for a few years.

Oh well - I can probably make it myself. :)

[Oracl]

On the weekend we held a movie fundraiser using ''An Inconvenient Truth''.
Great idea. :agree:

[Bowwowmeow]

I went on a walkathon for Farm Sanctuary this morning. Thanks to paul for letting me know about it before it was too late to sign up!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/FarmSanctuary1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/FarmSanctuary2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/FarmSanctuary3.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/FarmSanctuary4.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/FarmSanctuary5.jpg

We walked along the Embarcadero in San Francisco from the Ferry Building to Fisherman's Wharf. We handed out leaflets and waved at lots of friendly people. It was fun!

This is "Ollie". That's his owner crouching next to him. She was cuddling someone's Chihuahua. Dogs were allowed on the walk too, and we had a small group of them. Ollie was the only one of his kind. :laugh:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/FarmSanctuary6.jpg

This is my t-shirt, which I got for participating:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/FarmSanctuary7.jpg

[Keykeypie]

AWE That's wonderful Bowwow......I'm so proud of you .....I :smallheart: Farm Sanctuary!

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks Keykeypie! They said we had the largest turnout yet for a Farm Sanctuary walk. :yea:

[Oracl]

Great work, Bowwowmeow! :yea: :cheer: Nice T-shirt too. :agree:

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks, Oracl. I should get out and do things like that more often. :agree:

[Gliondrach]

Good for you, Alistair and BowWow.

[Bowwowmeow]

Thanks Martin!
Here's the official picture, which can also be found on the website (http://www.walkforfarmanimals.org/2006_locations.htm). I'm the one in the beige coat standing right behind Ollie the Pig.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/lauralb/SF.jpg

[Oracl]

Looks like a good turnout of people. :agree: :thumbsup:

[Alistair]

Recently I spent 9 hours in a sub-standard piggery face to face with a sow in a sow stall. :(

While academically I know a bit about the industry, the experience of sitting with the pigs in a shed of over 800 sows for that length of time and observing the conditions, the noise, the stench (not the girls fault), the injuries, wounds, and struggles to find any sort of comfort in the confined space on cold hard filthy concrete is something that is hard to share in the enourmity of it.

We are doing a lot of work on the issues for pigs but it is hard to consider that progress is so slow and meanwhile, the conditions go on.

Still, we do what we must do, I just wish I could share the experience effectively with the general public - then, maybe things would change a lot faster.

[Oracl]

Recently I spent 9 hours in a sub-standard piggery face to face with a sow in a sow stall. :(
I think that makes you one of my heroes, Alistair. :agree: :psmooch:

[Bowwowmeow]

Still, we do what we must do, I just wish I could share the experience effectively with the general public - then, maybe things would change a lot faster.
Indeed, you are hardly the one who needs to have this experience, and those who need it the most will never try it. :(

[thevegantwins]

I think that makes you one of my heroes, Alistair. :agree: :psmooch:
^ Agreed :agree:

[NYC Rocker]

:angelic: Alistair!!! :master:

So what were you doing there and what are you working on? Were you there to document it? What do you do? Forgive me if all these questions have already been answered, I'm still new here and don't know everyone yet. But already I know this - you rock. :rock: :D

[Alistair]

Sorry about the late reply - I was there as part of a protest to make some inroads into addressing the way pigs are treated in South Australia.

There are some good outcomes and I have a heap of legal stuff to read through now to assist.

There's always tonnes to be done - just wish we were financial enough to support ten people working on these things!

It's 1:27am - and I am still working on video edits - loads of work yet to go - but rendering can't be hurried. :(

[thevegantwins]

:hug: :piggy: You're a good friend to the animals, Alistair

[Keykeypie]

Awe that's great Alistair.......I'm so proud of you too:agree:

[Cherie]

I did a demonstration on Saturday, with leaflets and signs and chanting at a Monster Pets store. They were offered education on how to keep rats (separate males and females, do not pick up by their tail) and refused three times, so we were trying to raise awareness or convince them to change to more humane policies.

[thevegantwins]

:cheer: Yeah, Cherie!

[Gliondrach]

Good one, Cherie!

Was there any police interest?

[Oracl]

Good for you, Cherie! :thumbsup:

[Cherie]

At the Monster Pets one, we had the civil service officers come out and tell us where to stand and make sure the owners didn't kill us. LOL


Saturday, I did a few HLS demos at houses, but they didn't go well. The cops were jerks and the private property ended too close to the street.
Then we did some foie gras protests at restaurants, which went well and made the businesses lose some customers. We were out from like 11:30 to 8:45 p.m.

Sunday, we did vegan outreach leafleting and that seemed to go pretty well. There weren't a lot of people out, not half as many as on Saturday, but, all and all, it was a great weekend!

More next weekend. :D
And I get to see Sue!

[thevegantwins]

Wow, you are busy! :thumbsup: I'm sure if animals knew, they'd be :cheer:

[Gliondrach]

Cherie the campaigning dynamo.

[Gliondrach]

This woman in Columbia seems to be doing good work. She's brave to let a lion kiss her:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070108/ap_on_sc/colombia_animal_shelter

[Oracl]

Yes. :agree: What sad stories she tells about the animals she has rescued. :(

[Gliondrach]

Yes, the scum who did those things should be threatened with being put in the cage with the lion after he's gone hungry for a day or two. That might make them think.

[Cherie]

Had another good weekend of activism: foie gras protests at three restaurants on Friday night; Monster Pets store protest on Saturday; and leafleting on Sunday.

Next week is leafleting in D.C.!

But today is for fun, I get to see Vegan Twins! :D
Not that activism isn't fun...but this is especially exciting.

[Gliondrach]

You're doing good work, Cherie. Are there any other vegans in your group?

[Oracl]

But today is for fun, I get to see Vegan Twins! :D
:yea: :woohoo: :bouncy: :cheer:

[Cherie]

Yeah, most of the people are vegans. There are a few who ocassionally eat some dairy product...but the others are consistent! No omnivores, as far as I know. It's great, because an Indiana group I was looking at was mostly lacto-ovo (which, arguably, are omnis, in a sense) and omni and I just couldn't work with people who were hypocrits, supposed to be acting in favor of animals, yet their diets not.

And VT and I had fun! It was great to see her again and also to try the NY food. :D

[Gliondrach]

Police stoppped ‘lawful protest’
By Ellie Simmonds

Fourteen animal rights campaigners walked free from court today after a judge condemned the police for unlawfully stopping their protest.

The protesters were all cleared of refusing police orders to break up the demonstration against Oxford University's animal research laboratory outside the Sheldonian Theatre at the Encaenia ceremony last July.

A tape-recording emerged during the trial of unguarded comments by officers, calling the campaigners from the Speak animal rights group "c****", saying they wanted to "prosecute the s*** out of them" and claiming the university was powerful.

The comments, caught on a dictaphone accidentally switched on inside an officer's pocket, led to Speak accusing the force and university of colluding to stifle their right to protest.

During last summer's protest, demonstrators refused to move from outside the Sheldonian Theatre, where the Encaenia ceremony was being held, under police powers known as section 14s, and instead sat down.

At Bicester Magistrates' Court, District Judge Deborah Wright cleared all 14 defendants of offences under section 14 of the Public Order Act.

advertisementBut she found 70-year-old Pauline Broughton guilty of obstructing a police officer and Fran Cornwell guilty of assaulting a police officer - and gave them both absolute discharges.

Ms Wright said: "I find the (section 14) conditions were imposed unlawfully.

"Whoever was responsible for making the decision that this prosecution should proceed in light of the tape may well have made a serious error of judgment."

She added: "Although the (taped) conversations were made away from the public, all the officers were on duty. Pc (Colin) Travi accepted he had referred to them (the protesters) as c****."

He was also recorded saying "the problem is the protesters do not realise how powerful the university is - it's a sleeping giant".

Pc Andy Bignall was recorded saying: "We knew we were going to take bodies today."

Supt Chris Shead said: "Now we have to prosecute the s*** out of them."

And Ms Wright added Chief Insp Chris Sharp admitted the measures they imposed were "draconian".

Ms Wright said the protesters had been put under a "metaphoric microscope" by police.

Outside court, Speak spokesman Mel Broughton said: "I am extremely angry and disturbed about what has been revealed of the attitude of Thames Valley Police.

"I think anyone in the country who believes you have a right to protest and a right to free speech should be very, very concerned."

Referring to police comments about Oxford University, he added: "These two extremely powerful institutions are prepared to get into bed with each other to frustrate lawful protest."

Thames Valley Police Deputy Chief Constable Alex Marshall said: "I have listened to what the judge has had to say and I take her comments very seriously and will now review this case to see whether there are any disciplinary matters that need to be dealt with.

"There are comments on the tape that I find very regrettable and I find some of the comments unprofessional. I will take careful note of what the judge has said and see if there are any matters which arise from it."

Referring to the comments about Oxford University, he added: "Those are the comments of a constable after an operation. There's no collusion."

A spokesman for Oxford University said: "While we are in regular dialogue with the police, operational matters are entirely within their jurisdiction, and are not a matter for the university."

9:51pm Wednesday 30th May 2007

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1436614.0.police_stoppped_lawful_prote st.php