On Thursday 2nd December, the owners of Newchurch Guinea Pig Farm took 4 groups and 13 individuals to the High Court in an attempt to virtually stop the campaign against this vivisection supplier! Even their barrister admitted in court that the terms called for were draconian but he said necessary after recent events. The judge granted an injunction but the terms were far from what Newchurch owners wanted and the case will now return to the High Court on January 17th 2005.
For more details about the injunction and the campaign in general, check out the SNGP Campaign website
Solihull`s Farmers Market features a regular stall selling burgers made of ostrich meat! For the second time, on Friday 3rd Dec, Solihull Animal Aid campaigners handed out leaflets near the stall. Humans kill too many species for food already, without eating wildlife too!
Read more on Viva!`s website
The UK`s biggest wild bird market, where upto 100,000 birds(many of them trapped in the wild) would have been on sale, was due to take place at Stoneleigh`s Royal Agricultural Showground on December 4-5th. It was cancelled by the organisers after legal action initiated by the newly formed Animal Protection Agency
Jill`s Day 2005 will mark the 10th anniversary of Jill Phipps death, as she protested against live exports at Coventry Airport. The day will include stalls, an exhibition, march and rally and evening entertainment. Campaigners from Coventry Animal Alliance have staged numerous collections to raise funds to pay for the event. On Saturday 11th, over £100 was raised when they dressed up in animal costumes and shook tins in the city centre.
Read more about this national event on the Jill`s Day 2005 website
Demos against greyhound racing at Brandon Stadium have now switched to Saturdays from 6.30pm. During December, 2 of these weekly demos adopted a seasonal theme when campaigners wore tinsel, xmas hats etc
Coventry Against Greyhound Exploitation
In line with the Newchurch interim injunction, protests have taken place on Sundays only, during December. Other restrictions imposed include, a ban on using megaphones and a 25 protester limit. In spite of these breaches of their human rights, campaigners remain determined to fight for victory! 2 more Sunday demos will be allowed in January before protesters go back to the High Court on 17th January for the full hearing.
More details on the campaign website
On Thursday 16 Dec, Viva! launched their Dirty Meat Campaign with a high profile stunt in Birmingham City Centre. Campaigners dressed in white bio-hazard suits and masks to highlight the filthy, diseased and unhealthy reality of meat. The only safe solution is simple - don`t eat it!!
Read more about Viva!`s Dirty Meat Campaign on their website
The skiing and rock climbing clothing and equipment store, Snow & Rock are selling coats with hoods lined with silver fox fur!! A National Day of Action took place on Sat 18th Dec, with demos at their stores across the country. In Birmingham, we protested outside their store on The Priory Queensway, where hundreds of leaflets were handed out and the shop were shamed to passing traffic. Please boycott the store until they adopt a fur free policy. Contact them to complain
Tel: 01483 445 335
Email customer.services@snowandrock.com
More details on CAFT website
During December, several thousand of Viva!`s Xmas turkey leaflets were pushed through letterboxes in various parts of the Midlands. It`s another great way of encouraging the public to go veggie/vegan! Check out Viva!`s website
The campaign against Sequani vivisection lab in Ledbury has been as busy and loud as ever during December! Regular demos have been staged outside various `collaborators` who supply services to the animal hellhole and weekly protests were held at the lab itself on Bromyard Road, culminating in demos on both Xmas Eve and Xmas Day!!
For more details about this campaign check out the Stop Sequani Animal Testing website
Protesters from across the Midlands converged on Droitwich on Monday 27th for our traditional demo at the Boxing Day Hunt meet. The hunt ban is due to be enforced on 18th February 2005, so we hope this will be the last Boxing Day Hunt, but don`t be surprised if we`re back there next year!!
Why not join your local hunt sab group
If you have some interesting news from your area, why not email us the details (along with a photo if possible) and we`ll do our best to include it on our monthly news summary page. Please Note - We may well edit the report/details you send.