Animal Liberation
Animal rights, anti-vivisection, live exports, intensive farming.
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Largest Shareholder Barclays and Top Investors Dump HLS
17-05-2009 23:12
This week it was announced Barclays and four other large investors dropped all shares in Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), Europe's largest and most exposed vivisection laboratory. LSR stock owned by institutional shareholders has now fallen to 12%, placing HLS $4 million below the NYSE minimum listing standard for market value (the only stock exchange listing the company, a major target in the campaign to close HLS).
Following a legal challenge against the CEO's proposal to purchase all of the outstanding LSR stock, an intense global campaign and recent repression against SHAC in Birmingham, a total of 797,284 shares have now been sold. Barclays Global Investors, Barclays Plc, Hartford Investment Management Company, Rice Hall James and Associates LLC, Bank of New York Mellon and Wells Fargo sold all their shares, of which over 400,000 were held by previously largest shareholder Barclays.
Barclays campaign: Global (Videos) | London | Direct action | SHAC topic page
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Norwegian Whaling Ship Scuttled
28-04-2009 21:07
"We came to Henningsvaer. We saw the Skarbakk. We sank the bastard" - Agenda 21
On the evening of April 23rd, the Norwegian whaling ship The Skarbakk was scuttled by environmentalists in the Lofoten islands, Norway, using the name of a 1992 United Nations Conference on the Environment. The conference detailed action proposed for a sustainable 21st century, with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society promising Norway that if they did not comply with international conservation law, then they would sink their whaling ships.
This was not an empty threat, with Captain Paul Watson supervising the sinking of two ships; the Nybraena in 1992 and the Senet in 1994. The anonymous and covert goup Agenda 21 then took over with the scuttling of the Elin-Toril in 1996. In a communique last week, the activists reported they flooded the engine room of The Skarbakk by using an adjustable spanner to open the salt-water intake valve; "to delay the killing season and to protest the continued illegal export of whale meat to Japan."
Related Features: The Whale Wars - Sea Shepherd Returns From Antarctica | Japan issues arrest warrant for Nottingham activist | Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales | Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica | Sea Shepherd activists injured as Japanese military open fire | Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean | Whalers use Public Relations to twist the truth
Links: United Nations Agenda 21 | Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Ocean Defence topic pageWorld Day for Animals in Laboratories March
26-04-2009 20:22
On Saturday 25th April, over two thousand anti-vivisectionists marched through London to mark World Day for Animals in Laboratories as part of a Week of Action. The day is an internationally recognised, UN sanctioned event for reflection and remembrance of the countless millions of animals that suffer and die in vivisection laboratories around the world each year in the name of science.
The march was organised to call for an end to vivisection both in the UK and elsewhere, in response to Labour's abandoned pre-election promise for an official inquiry into animal experimentation. It has been over 15 years since the anti-vivisection movement marched in London to mark World Day, successfully uniting, mobilising and attracting new activists to the movement. Campaigners in attendance included Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), SPEAK Campaigns, Stop Wickham Animal Testing (SWAT), prisoner support groups, as well as Animal Liberation Front (ALF) supporters and green anarchists.
Pictures: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Videos: 1 | 2 | Speeches: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Highlights
World Week Reports: Hull | Sheffield | Carlisle | Chile | Birmingham | Nottingham | Finland | USA: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
SHAC supporter unlawfully arrested at Barclays Bank
22-04-2009 20:54
During a regular demo outside Barclays (due to their support for Huntingdon Life Sciences) a group of teenagers came to find out what the demo was about. The police were called, they arrested one teenager (Video) for alleged criminal damage (kicking the door of Barclays) which activists claim he didn't do, then refused to take details of bystanders who were witnesses to the non-crime. See update on arrested person and the SHAC topic page for information on the ongoing campaign.
Update: Another arrest at Barclays
Veggie Pride UK
11-04-2009 13:28
Veggie Pride UK will be a fantastic fun-filled festival and carnival procession, celebrating and promoting compassionate, healthy, eco-friendly vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. Taking place in Birmingham City Centre on Saturday 16 May 2009. It`s the first event of it`s kind in the UK!
Transport is being arranged from the Leeds/Bradford area as well as from other locations from around the country.There`s only 5 weeks to go, so get your coach seats booked soon! See also their Urgent Appeal for Funds.
Nottingham Animal Rights get active
12-03-2009 15:33
It has been a busy few weeks for animal rights activists from Nottingham. Local activists were involved in the demonstration against Crufts in Birmingham but there have also been demonstrations in Nottingham against the sale of fur by clothing chain Cruise. There are also ongoing demonstrations against the so-called Great British Circus which makes exploitative use of animals in its shows.
Newswire: Crufts Demo Report | 'Great' British Circus, next stop, Scunthorpe FC | Crufts Arrangments | Nottingham animal rights demonstrate against cruise to adopt an anti fur policy | McDonalds Campaign | East Midlands Vegan Festival | A typical action packed week
Links: Nottingham Animal Rights Website / Meetings / NewsGroup / Latest News / Facebook Group | Veggies | Northern Animal Rights Coalition: Cruise selling fur | PETA 2: The Great British Circus' Big Disgrace | Nottingham vs 'Great' British Circus
SHAC Shakedown City Investors
01-03-2009 22:25
On Friday 27th February around 300 campaigners from around the country, and from around the world, traveled for a loud and vibrant march and demonstration in the capital against the financial supporters of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), the largest and most exposed vivisection laboratory in Europe.
With HLS’ share price now the lowest in four years, the unjust incarceration of SHAC campaigners and the latest footage of monkeys being abused inside HLS’ labs, angry, passionate and determined campaigners gathered at the Bank of England – the only bank in the world providing HLS with banking facilities. The day of action aimed to publicly show financial investors that anti-vivisectionists will not tolerate puppies being thrown around, monkeys being cut open alive and other innocent animals suffering in silence. The protest was part of a global week of action organised by Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), with actions so far reported in London (1 | 2 | 3), Somerset, Cambridge, Netherlands, Italy, Chile, Sweden, Poland, (1 | 2) France and Russia (Videos: 1 | 2).
First stop was HLS’ largest shareholder Barclays, which saw an impromptu banner drop from the bridge directly above the bank. Activists then moved onto more HLS and NYSE Euronext shareholders (1 | 2), the only stock exchange in the world listing the company after dropping them in 2000 and postponing their listing in 2005. Huntingdon are currently $83 million dollars in debt, without a commercial bank or insurance company in the world prepared to deal with them.
Top HLS Investors Dump Shares
25-02-2009 22:11
Just days before the SHAC global week of action kicked off and two weeks after Huntingdon Life Sciences' vivisection laboratories were exposed for the seventh time in ten years, revealing shocking undercover footage, HLS shareholders have sold 15% of the company (ticker symbol LSR). As a result the percentage of LSR stock held by institutions fell further from 20.1% to 17.7%, leaving them below the minimum listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange, a major target in the campaign to close down HLS.
Wells Fargo, who were one of LSR's top five institutional investors has sold all their 147,511 shares and the Bank of New York Mellon, previously third largest investor, sold most of their LSR stock dumping 149,157 shares. BNY Mellon now only have 26,634 remaining of the original 175,791 shares, with Turner Investment Partners Inc also selling their 56,880 stock.
The announcement was made the day before Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activists reported they had slashed car tryes at the home of BNY's Business Analyst in Hampshire, whilst other covert cells targeted HLS associates in solidarity with political prisoners, including the UK SHAC 7. Protests also took place at BNY and Wells Fargo's offices and executive's homes, as part of a three-month campaign based primarily in London [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ] (England) and New York City (USA) [ 1 | 2 ].
HLS have been suffering from a serious lack of investment since December 2007, with over a dozen corporations selling all their shares in LSR. Their share price as of February 25th is $5.78, the lowest since their high of nearly $40 in September 2008. With an unstable share price, activists continue to increase the pressure against HLS shareholders, particularly largest investor Barclays.
HLS Exposed - Yet Again! SHAC To Shakedown Financial Investors In The City
10-02-2009 16:07
For the seventh time in ten years Huntingdon Life Sciences have been infiltrated and exposed, revealing shocking cruelty and footage of animal experiments filmed inside HLS during 2007 and 2008. The investigation exposes the primate trade across three continents, including individuals captured in the wild and shipped over, enduring 30 hour journeys in small cages from as far as Vietnam.
An undercover worker inside a primate unit at HLS in Cambridgeshire filmed struggling monkeys strapped to chairs and forced to inhale products. Many were housed in one cubic metre cages and then taken out to be held down by workers as tubes are forced down their throats. 217 monkeys were killed in just five studies for customers including AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithkline and the Ministry of Defence. The company are a contract testing laboratory, testing any products, on any non-human animals, for any company; pharmaceuctical, household, beauty or otherwise.
In response to the horrific footage, the imprisonment of seven SHAC campaigners for 'conspiring to blackmail' the notorious vivisection laboratory and the business' falling share price, anti-vivisectionists will be taking to the streets of London on Friday 27th February during a global week of action against HLS' financials. The SHAC City Shakedown march and protest will be for the 70,000 animals imprisoned and abused inside the labs, targeting the financial institutions who profit from and delay the companies collapse.
As the value of Europe's largest and most exposed animal testing laboratory drops by over 80% in recent months, the New York Stock Exchange now have an extra reason to again kick the abusers off the exchange. Other reasons include the labs financial problems, serious debt, animal abuse, data falsification and scientific fraud.
Primate Trade Exposed: Full Documentary | HLS Footage | Photos | Reports: PDF | HTML | SHAC PDF
Demo Resources: SHAC City Shakedown Webpage | Why HLS? | The Protest | Download resources
Related Newswire: Bayer (HLS customer) painted in solidarity with imprisoned activists | Vegan Prisoners Updates; Greg, Gavin, Sarah & Dan W | Home visits for top barclays executives | Barclays has more demos in Birmingham | HLS Electronic Sit In: Make Friday the 13 bad luck for HLS Affiliates | HLS - new expose! | Solidarity from UC Berkeley Students | More Barclays cashpoints disabled | Suspicious package at Barclays | Is Recent Jailing of Anti-HLS Activists a Call to Action? | Barclays Demos in Birmingham | Financial Protests in the City | Pfizer Acquires Wyeth & Double Amount of Demos | South Wales Anarchists stand in solidarity with the SHAC 7 | UK SHAC 7 Heather Nicholson Speaks Out | Barclays cashpoints put out of action | Hackers target HLS suppliers | Letter from Shactivist/Veganarchist Prisoner Dan Wadham | Bayer Day of Action: West London / Hampshire | New York City | Cambridge | Chile | Sweden | Netherlands | More demos | More articles
The Whale Wars - Sea Shepherd Returns From Antarctica
07-02-2009 15:59
The flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the M/Y Steve Irwin, is heading back from the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary where it has been on patrol to enforce international conservation regulations in protection of the area's great whales. Since its departure from Brisbane, Australia on December 4th, the ship and its crew have been involved in various confrontations with a Japanese Whaling Fleet, which continues to operate a commercial whale hunt in the area illegally.
On December 26th, the Steve Irwin confronted the Japanese vessel Kaiko Maru. The ships collided and Sea Shepherd crew deployed butyric acid on its decks. From 1st February the whaling operation was shut down for 8 days straight with both sides of the conflict accusing each other of dangerous manoeuvres and tactics. On February 6th, the Steve Irwin collided with a harpoon ship twice, when it tried to block the ship from offloading a dead whale onto the factory ship Nisshin Maru. As part of an international crew of volunteers, 3 activists from the UK worked onboard the Sea Shepherd vessel during the campaign which was dubbed operation Musashi.
Photos: Photo Report – Onboard Sea Shepherd Operation Musashi | Videos: Ramming the Japanese whaling ship - Sea Shepherd | Sea Shepherd collides with whaling harpoon ship (Indybay)
On The Newswire: Sea Shepherd Forced To Leave Killing Grounds In Antarctica | Ramming the Japanese whaling ship, onboard the Steve Irwin | Sea Shepherd blames acoustic weapon attack for Ramming Whaling ship | Japanese Whalers Playing Dangerous Games in the Ross Sea | Sound weapons used against protestors | Whalers harassed by Sea Shepherd in Australian Antarctic waters | Whalers flee Sea Shepherd in Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
Previous Features: Japan issues arrest warrant for Nottingham activist | Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales | Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica | Sea Shepherd activists injured as Japanese military open fire | Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean | Whalers use Public Relations to twist the truth
Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Institute For Cetacean Research (Japanese pro-whaling PR) | Ocean Defence Topic page
