Month: May 2023

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DEFENDING DIRECT ACTION, A QUICK LOBSTER STORY

Mid May, activists in Denmark liberated two lobsters from a MANY supermarket. They did their homework, found what sea they came from, and released them back into the wild. After that anonymous report was shared, local activists in Denmark and beyond got to work.

By having raised the live lobster trade by MANY, those anonymous activists inspired a local storm. Activists emailed and called MANY demanding to stop the sale of live lobsters. They warned them that if they didn’t a pressure campaign would be set up against them, with direct action and protests.

MANY really felt the heat and emailed back to those reaching out, letting them know that they took their concerns very seriously and that they would put an end to the sale of live lobsters from August 1st onwards.

The action of some anonymous activists inspired enough people who not only felt liberating those lobsters was right, but who also decided to put even more pressure on the company, backing those taking direct action, defending the lobsters and warning the company to put an end on the abuse.

This is a clear show of how direct action, regardless of how small it might seem to be, can have incredible impact. Not only two lobsters were freed, but it united folks from different ways of life, raised the issue and created a united front to fight back against injustice.

It is worth mentioning too that whilst many people advocate for direct action to occur within existing campaigns, raising the profile of that campaign or creating a front where the target feels they either talk to those who are campaigning and find a solution, or they have to deal with those who do not fear breaking the law, in this case a seemingly small act of liberation inspired the phone/email storm that ultimately bagged a win.

Always defend direct action and never forget the power of people!

UNTIL WE WIN

PS: To the anonymous activists who took those lobsters to freedom; we hope you know how much that act has impacted animals. Congratulations on your win.

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THE ALF SPRAYS A BUTCHER SHOP.

March, Värmland Sweden

received anonymously via email:

“The ALF spraypainted a butcher shop with the word “DJURPLÅGARE”, meaning ANIMAL ABUSERS in swedish. Also we have previously removed and destroyed cardboard advertisements put up by the butcher shop.

Every action counts! Long Live Animal Liberation!”

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HOW TO CUT AND PAINT STENCILS

Disclaimer for the feds: Incite, Conspire, Inspire is a solely-for-fun section never designed to give real advice. The tools, tactics and ideas given on the series are only thought to entertain. We would never dream of anyone using any of this tools as a form of dissent and we do not promote, partake in or condone any illegal activities that might derive from said tools.

Stencils are a cheap and effective way to send a message out on the streets, you can paint / repeat them dozens of times in a few hours and also  paint them pretty much over any surface. To keep it simple, first, think what message is that you want to paint or communicate, grab a sheet of paper (the thicker the better) and start drawing the letters to form the message you want to send, these letters need to be thicker solid forms.

We’ve all seen stencil letters, when drawing them, make sure you add bridges to the letterforms, bridges are a very important element for stenciled letters, they are thin strips that connect the solid areas inside the letterforms to the outer border of the design, these solid areas are called islands (see graphics).

After you draw all the letters the stencil is ready to be cut. Use a Xacto knife or even a box cutter which is cheaper. You will need a cutting board or any surface like thick cardboard to cut the stencil over and don’t scratch your desk or floor.

With the blade, follow carefully the lines that form each letter making sure you don’t cut through the bridges and throw away the cut out pieces. 

Now that you turned your message into a stencil it is ready to be used. Next thing you will need is a spray paint can, commonly used for DIY projects vandalism and decorating. Nowadays, you can find multiple brands for different purposes, but you will be fine with one from the hardware store. Finally, just go out, bring your stencil, spray can and some masking tape, put a little piece of tape on the top part of the stencil to stick it to the wall and with your hands hold it against the wall firmly and spray over it making sure not to add to much paint or it will drip.

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PRISON SENTENCES, ARRESTS AND REMAND IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO PROTECT ISRAEL’S MILITARY AGAINST PAL ACTION – PRISONER SUPPORT.

Last week, Pal Action was on trial. After a two day roof occupation of a weapons manufacturer in Newcastle, where an estimated £69K worth of damage was caused, two people were arrested. Alongside them, another two activists at different locations were arrested for “conspiracy to commit criminal damage”. The two rooftop smashers were granted bail, but Crown Prosecution appealed the decision and one of them was remanded. The two activists away from the site were immediately charged and remanded in prison.

Another three people appeared in court in Chester after dismantling the Runcorn APPH weapons manufacturer in June 2021. One was acquitted, whilst the other two received a 16 and a 27 month prison sentence.

In Wolverhampton Crown Court after a seven week long trial and five days of deliberation, four people were convicted of “possession of articles to cause criminal damage”, having been arrested two years prior whilst travelling towards UAV Engines, an Elbit weapons factory, with items like paint buckets. A fifth person was acquitted in the same trial, and the four convicted will face sentencing in Wolverhampton Crown Court on the 26th of June.

Meanwhile, at the gates of Elbit in Leicester, an activist was arrested during their third week of the siege for simply sitting on the road, then subjected to the cop shop cell for 10 hours before release.

We do not know the mail addresses for those in prison, but we have found a fundraiser to support one of the folks locked up which you can find below: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mike-in-prison

This week PalAction is facing even more court cases, so we will keep you informed of results and new prisoner addresses as and when news appear!

SOLIDARITY IS OUR BIGGEST WEAPON!

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CAFT HITS HARD AGAINST LVMH DURING THEIR AGM.

This has been a big month for CAFT. After a period of preparation, they have spent the last month targeting LVMH (a French luxury goods conglomerate) during their Annual General Meeting to demand that they drop fur from all their brands. This campaign has been massive and has had actions all over the world. 

Over 11 days of the campaign, 137 actions took place in 22 cities across 8 countries. 

One hotspot of the campaign was Paris, where local anti-fur group Collectif Sipe joined with CAFT for a day of protest on April 20th. They played images of the disgusting fur trade on a billboard truck outside LVMH’s meeting and protested outside. Then, when board members went to their hotel for the night, protesters joined them to force their message home! 

Meanwhile, CAFT-USA was being very active across the Atlantic. In New York the NYC-Animal Defense League targeted LVMH brands. For some of these, such as Dior, every single location in the city was hit. Actions took place across the country – with NYC, LA, and Boston being the cities with the most activity. In total, the campaign targeted 11 corporate headquarters, 3 museums/exhibits, 1 hotel and 1 market. 28 LVMH brands were visited overall. 

CAFT said that their method is ‘to dismantle the retail market, forcing one company after another to abandon fur, until the industry collapses’.  

‘Success hinges on a comprehensive use of resources and a collective effort from every animal advocate. Failure is not an option.’  

CAFT lists a number of different ways to get involved on their website, for those who are interested. 

https://caftusa.org

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COORDINATED BANNER DROP, GRTAFFITI AND WEATPASTING AGAINST THE MURDER OF GAIA THE BEAR.

12th may, Italy

received anonymously via email:

“Free the bears!

the wild bears of Trentino, Italy, are again under attack from the local administration, especially from the local governor Maurizio Fugatti, following a deadly attack on a human: the bear “JJ4” (nicknamed Gaia), a mother of three cubs, has been accused and captured and is awaiting her execution in captivity.

Several groups, including one active in the Trentino territory, decided to send an unifed message: “Free the bears, Fugatti is a killer” in the cities of Reggio Emilia, Bologna, Modena, Padova, Bergamo, Firenze, Milano and lastly Trento itself.”

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MEL BROUGHTON RELEASED FROM PRISON!

We have excellent news to share with you today. Mel Broughton, who has been locked up since november awaiting trial, has been granted bail today. He has been given bail conditions, but he can be out in the world whilst awaiting trial, which is still scheduled for the end of July.

If you recently sent a letter, you might receive it back with “No longer here” masked as a reason. There are much worse reasons to receive a letter back aren’t there?!

Join us in welcoming Mel back to the outside world and celebrate, every time a comrade is out of prison it is a day to celebrate.

Welcome back Mel, we hope the colours of spring treat you well. Enjoy your home cooked vegan meals!

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ACTIVISTS TAG (« MAX MARA TORTURES FOXES ») IN SUPPORT OF THE ANTI-FUR PRESSURE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MAX MARA.

May, France.

received anonymously via email:

(ENGLISH)

“On a large boulevard, we came across this burned vehicle. We decided to use it as a display panel to send a message in support of the anti-Fourrure pressure campaign targeting Max Mara. We have tagged the following message “Max Mara Torture des Renards” which will be seen by hundreds of people every day seen until the vehicle withdraws.

Support for activists who fight to abolish fur and all other oppressions!
We will continue to use all the useful tactics for success!”

(FRANÇAIS)

“UN TAG (« MAX MARA TORTURE DES RENARDS ») EN SOUTIEN À LA CAMPAGNE DE PRESSION ANTI-FOURRURE CONTRE MAX MARA !

Sur un grand boulevard, nous sommes tombées sur ce véhicule brulé. Nous avons décidé de nous en servir comme panneau d’affichage pour passer un message en soutien à la campagne de pression anti-fourrure visant Max Mara. Nous avons tagué le message suivant « Max Mara torture des renards » qui sera vu par des centaines de personnes chaque jour vu jusqu’au retrait du véhicule.

Soutien aux activistes qui lutte pour abolir la fourrure et toutes les autres oppressions !
Nous continuerons à utiliser toutes les tactiques utiles pour réussir !”

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PAL ACTION CONTINUES TO OCCUPY ELBIT’S FACTORY IN LEICESTER – AND HITS ADDITIONAL TARGETS!

It’s been over two weeks since Palestine Action began their siege against Israeli weapons factory ‘UAV Tactical Systems’ in Leicester. Here are some updates on the siege and the groups’ actions!

On Sunday, Leicester’s local community and supporters of PalAction held a mass rally on day 13 of the siege. The city of Leicester has been covered in spray paint showing support of the siege.

Despite large police presence on the ground, Elbit’s neighbouring weapon trafficker Kuehne + Nagel was dismantled by actionists – leaving doors and windows smashed and walls covered in paint, stating “For Shireen” (referring to the murder of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by the Israeli military), “Free Gaza” and “We will win”.

Recent Israeli air strikes murdered 13 Palestinians, including children, in Gaza. Elbit Systems supplies 85% of Israel’s drone fleet, being directly responsible for these air strikes. In light of these events, PalActions calls on everyone to join the siege and show support at UAV Tactical Systems, Unit F Meridian East Business Park, LE19 1WZ.

PalAction has also launched nation-wide actions to accompany the Leicester occupation.

In London, the group has sprayed Britain’s Foreign Office with blook-red paint, ‘symbolising the blood spilt by British complicity in the colonisation of Palestine’. Two actionists have been arrested.

In Newcastle, PalAction has also taken over a weapons factory owned by Israeli state weapons company Rafael. The factory Pearson Engineering Ltd has recently been purchased by Israel which initiates Israel’s plan for further expansion in Britain. PalAction declares that this retaliation is ‘an official warning that Israel’s war machine is not welcome here’. You can show your support at Armstrong Works, Scotswood Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 6UX.

The photo shows Pal Action’s siege of the Newcastle weapons company Rafael.