Jury convicts animal welfare activists in federal terror case

[LeftyMom]

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/newjersey/story...

Jury convicts animal welfare activists in federal terror case
By JEFFREY GOLD, Associated Press Writer
Published: Thursday, March 2, 2006
Updated: Thursday, March 2, 2006

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A federal jury on Thursday convicted an animal rights group and six of its members of inciting violence and terror during their ongoing campaign to shutter a company that uses animals to test drugs and consumer products.

The group, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, maintained its actions were free speech protected by the First Amendment.

The government claimed the group, which goes by the acronym SHAC, used its Web site to incite violence against people and institutions it identifies as targets because of their affiliation with the animal testing lab, Huntingdon Life Sciences.

...

The trial on the first charge, conspiracy to violate the Animal Enterprise Protection Act, is believed to be the first since the law was enacted in 1992, said the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles B. McKenna

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I'm sorry but this is bull! 'inciting violence and terror'? Why do we

have an Animal Enterprise Protection Act and yet any wacko 'pro-life' group can get away with promoting murder of doctors who do abortions on their web-sites?

[LeftyMom]

2. Because the fundies don't threaten corporate interests?

:shrug: Corporations mean more to our government than animals or people.

[Lorien]

8. They do, and usually the corporate interests back down. n/t

[LeftyMom]

9. I mean at the core of thier philosophy

Sure some company will piss the fundies off and they'll strong arm them or call a boycott, but they are generally promoters of mindless consumption and thus serve corporate interests in general.

The SHAC model of activism (which is highly effective- Huntingdon will likely be insolvent within the year as they have loans coming due they have no hope of paying) coupled with an anti-exploitation agenda, scares corporate america. It should.

[stepnw1f]

3. These People Want Us to Riot

They are really pushing my buttons.

[MadMaddie]

4. You are absolutely right...

protecting big business is more important than protecting Americans rights to work in their chosen field.

The * cabal can't even catch real terra suspects and put them in jail.

[BlueEyedSon]

5. Another for victory for BUSHCO in The war on Terra

[Barrett808]

6. But didn't anti-abortion people get to keep their "hit list"? n/t

[mark11727]

7. "...incite violence against people..."

If this is true, I'd hate to have my tires slashed, my home vandalized, my children harassed, and my wife threatened, because maybe I did some part-time book-keeping and clerical work at the lab.

It's just plain wrong.

[rumpel]

10. Always adhere to non-violent protest, did they?

The Act itself, I had never heard of is here:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/pl102346.htm

I wanted to know what an "animal enterprise" is...

"(1) the term 'animal enterprise' means--

"(A) a commercial or academic enterprise that uses animals for food or fiber production, agriculture, research, or testing;
"(B) a zoo, aquarium, circus, rodeo, or lawful competitive animal event; or
"(C) any fair or similar event intended to advance agricultural arts and sciences;

"(2) the term 'physical disruption' does not include any lawful disruption that results from lawful public, governmental, or animal enterprise employee reaction to the disclosure of information about an animal enterprise;

"(3) the term 'economic damage' means the replacement costs of lost or damaged property or records, the costs of repeating an interrupted or invalidated experiment, or the loss of profits; and

"(4) the term 'serious bodily injury' has the meaning given that term in section 1365 of this title.

[flvegan]

11. So when does Stormfront.com and armyofgod.com owners/members get

indicted/convicted? Talk about inciting violence against people. At least the folks in SHAC, that I know of, never physically harmed anyone.

Just shows how successful they are/were. They needed a fascist regime to bring them down. Not bad, folks.

[MasonJar]

12. How can we help SHAC?

[LeftyMom]

13. Check the website

re: those convicted

http://www.shac7.com/shac.htm

There's an addy for donations on there. They'll probably want supporters in the courtroom again at sentancing, if you're able to get to NJ. If I hear anything else, I'll post.

re: the movement to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences

http://www.shac.net/

[Critters2]

14. delete (dupe)

[OnyxCollie]

15. I heard a story on NPR

a while back that said that the government was considering Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF) their top priorities in the fight against domestic "terrorism", even though, as was stated in the story, no physical harm has ever come to a human from these groups. It's all about property and money. KKK and redneck militias? Nothing to worry about. ELF destroying a build site for a new housing development? Send 'em to Gitmo!

GO MONKEY WRENCH GANG!

[LisaL]

17. Who cares about property? Except maybe when it's your own?

:eyes:

[OnyxCollie]

19. Why worry about the Timothy McVeighs and abortion clinic bombers

when property is concerned?

Let's put this in the proper perspective:

Property- Replaceable
Human lives- Irreplaceable

Which would you prefer the government spend its efforts trying to protect?

[Zhade]

22. Infuckingdeed.

NT!

[arwalden]

16. Good! It's About Damn Time!

I'm glad that someone's finally putting an end to radical fringe kooky groups that use specious cries of "free speech" as justification for their domestic terrorism, vandalism, stalking, assault, libel/slander, intimidation, threats, trespassing... the list goes on and on.

[Zhade]

23. Do we know any of that actually happened?

I don't know the specifics of the case, myself.

[sofa king]

18. Can Osama be far behind?

[kestrel91316]

20. I know first hand what it is like to be stalked, harrassed,

terrorized, threatened, and have my home and car and business vandalized (by a fanatical cat rescuer). And I'm just a veterinarian in private practice. I was harrassed by this person for nearly ten years because I challenged her way of doing things, and asserted my legal rights when physically assaulted by her.

I am completely appalled that any rational person would advocate these sorts of tactics. I don't care how much people love animals. People are animals, too. Even when they work for a corporation.

[WhiteTara]

21. but SCOTUS will allow terror and violence

toward women's clinics in the name of free speech. These guys play so dirty. How can we ever have a chance? :grr: