Sequani February Campaign update + Lock-on activists court update

Protests at the Sequani lab in Ledbury and various suppliers have been continuing with tenacity over the pass few weeks with protests at Arrowmight Biosciences who supply the cold baron cages for Sequani. Protests were also held at Owen Pell, Propath UK and various other Sequani death lab collaborators have been frequent over the past weeks and continue.

Four activists were arrested under Section 5 of the public order act during a lawful protest at Arrowmight and a megaphone was destroyed by police on site after activists refused to stop using the loudhailer to remind the staff about the torture equipment they make inside, even though at no point were they insulting, abusive or threatening.

February saw five activists involved in a lock on (see December national report) in court charged with varying offences including obstructing the highway and breach of Section 12 of the public order act.  All activists have pled not guilty, the case is ongoing and information will be published as and when it is available.

The Stop Sequani Campaign is currently confirming and finalising a list of Sequani suppliers for you to contact and help stop the abuse taking place at Sequani death labs!

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Campaign update 25th

Workers were welcomed in to work as activists turned up at Sequani torture labs at 7am on the dot again. Workers looked pissed off as usual, probably at the prospect of being reminded for another week running of the work they do which kills and maims so many animals. Friendly local cops attended as usual.

Sequani clinical have been receiving noisy megaphone demonstrations and the public were made aware of the human cost of the drug side affects that are not detected by the animal experiments that take place at the other Sequani animal torture site. Not that any of the Sequani research is life saving unless anti dandruff shampoo, anti perspirant deodorant and sanitary products which take away period pain (!?) are life saving?

On departing Sequani employees were subjected to a public shaming on the megaphone, passing motorists were supportive of the demo and pissed off that the police shut the road to allow the workers out quickly so they didn’t have to see the “terrorists”.

We have been at Sequani every weekday except Wednesdays for the past three weeks, get used to it Sequani, we see that you have job openings at Sequani for Security staff, hmmm we know a few people who might be interested who haven’t been out on demonstrations before who might be able to help you out…

Even with the Sequani 6 being dragged through the Crown court using unjust unlawful SOCPA legislation a new campaign is born. It looks like you haven’t stopped lawful protest just yet have you West Mercia, but no doubt paedophiles are being released early so you can fill up the prisons with a few more campaigners for pointing and shouting in 2008!

More information on the Sequani six:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/388806.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389274.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389780.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389873.html

More information about NETCU, SOCPA and Animal Rights Police:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/01/389745.html
http://www.netcuwatch.org.uk
http://fitwatch.blogspot.com
http://arcops.wordpress.com

More information on the Sequani protests:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/387849.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/388006.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/388051.html

Constant demos at Sequani torture labs and Arrowmight animal abusers as new campaign starts in Herefordshire.

Activists have greeted workers at Sequani almost every day since the 14^th of February activists arrived at 7am in the morning with honks of support sounding even before the animal tormentors arrive.

Police have been very amicable, our protests have been lawful but effective with demonstrations at both Sequani on Bromyard Rd and Sequani Clinical in the town centre, security jobs have appeared in the local press as they would appear to be spread too thinly having to drive from one place to the next.

Arrowmight Biosciences have also received visits from activists on a couple of occasions over the past two weeks with noisy demonstrations attracting unwanted attention from other businesses in the area. I wonder how the feel about the torture prisons you make for HLS, Sequani and Covance the lab cages you build are designed for one thing only, the torment of sentient creatures.

We will be here for as long as it takes Sequani.

Until the last cages are emptied and destroyed.

SSAT

Ask Sequani why they hate Mondays?

In solidarity with our friends who are facing a grueling court battle over the coming months and face possible prison sentences for doing nothing more than protesting, we held a noisy demonstration at 7am outside the Sequani torture labs to greet the workers back. Some workers refused to enter with the protest going on.

What did you think? That was it? You lock up a handful of campaigners and all the compassion in the world would die or the right to protest was finally stopped?

I couldn’t help wondering when our doors would no longer be so attached to the door frame because of these protests, tomorrow? Next week? Why are the police and these vile vivisection industries so afraid of us, we have never hurt anyone and never will harm any Sequani employee so why do they hate us so much and wish to see us serve prison sentences.

Maybe it isn’t our protests or the campaign that they hate, maybe it is that nagging feeling that they are reminded of each time they drive through the gates of hell that there is only so far you can stretch the excuse of having bills or mortgage to pay each month.

They see us as being extremists, it takes a real stretch of the imagination of someone who drips toxic chemicals in a rabbits eyes to call the opposition an extremist.

A message to Sequani employees, I can’t imagine what the first time you caused suffering to an animal must have been like. It must have been similar to that feeling of falling suddenly with your senses suddenly recoiling in horror, you might have dwelled on it for a while you made a decision, at this point for better or worse you decided that you were going to continue to cause suffering to animals and over time that feeling dulled and it became just a job. I wish for a second I could feel how you feel, so I could understand what brings someone to become a tormentor of these intelligent sentient animals.

Maybe it is time to get a job which you can tell friends and feel proud about, without worrying about what peoples reactions might be. It is never to late to change your life and show compassion to these animals.

Protestors blockade Ledbury centre at Sequani March after police restrict legal protest.

For Immediate release:
17th December 2007

Contact:
Chris Dowdeswell (Western Animal Rights Network) – 01452 539673

See the full flickr Gallery of the March and blockade here.

There are also two videos of the days events here:

Video from Ledbury Portal (a local Ledbury info site)
Video from a SARC activists who attended

Approximately 150 protesters marched through Ledbury town centre on Saturday 15th December. Police were out in force with approximately 200 police officers from various forces including West Mercia, Cambridge, West Midlands, Staffordshire and Thames Valley. Police on the day had decided to impose a Section 14 and 12 Public Order Act on the march to try and limit the number of protesters outside the lab to only fifteen.

Some police were heavy handed with those who tried to hand out leaflets to the public one police officer from Staffordshire police hurled a female protester into the marchers when she attempted to give information to the public.

In response to police oppression in Ledbury by West Mercia police five protesters used arm tubes to create a blockade of the main Ledbury road, one of the arm tubes had a poster wrapped around it which read “Protest by right, not by police permission”.

Police responded in the only way they know, which was to use violence against the remaining protesters to make space so the police to use a circular saw to cut the activists free from the tubes. Two activists attempted to lock themselves together by the neck using a D-lock but police threw the female activist by the lock which was still attached to her neck to the floor and arrested her. All five were eventually cut from the arm tubes, arrested and taken to Leominster Police station held for 10 hours and released on police bail accused of blocking the public highway. Three of the five activists documented injuries at the police station as a result of the police action taken whilst they were immobilised by the tubes.

A group of activists who travelled from Leeds for the march were told if they walked within fifty metres of each other on the way back to their minibus they would be arrested for a breach of Section 14 for an unauthorised assembly by another Staffordshire police officer.

The public who were interviewed by the Ledbury Portal showed disgust at the numbers of police considering the lack of police available in small rural towns such as Ledbury. The Western Animal Rights Network are happy with the way the march played out, it is unfortunate that we live in a time where our protest rights have been so limited that we have to resort to civil disobedience.

We understand that many members of the public are unsure about what happens at Sequani and whether their animal research actually saves lives, we hope to open an arena for debate over these issues and offer an invitation to Sequani workers and management to debate the issues surround such controversial subjects as “deodorant efficacy” and other vital life saving research such as sanitary products which ‘cure’ period pains.

A number of members of the public tried to intervene during the police violence towards those involved in the blockade, we thank those people who are willing to stand up to bullying from those our taxes pay to protect us.

We hope that in the coming months we can bring the issues surrounding vivisection and animal rights to public arena and will be holding regular protests at Sequani.