Category: The Frontlines

It has been another busy month for the CAFT campaign to get the LVMH luxury goods conglomerate to drop fur. 

The big change has been the addition of Marc Jacobs (an LVMH-owned fashion organization) to their list of top targets. On the 11th of May, Marc Jacobs ran a hat made of real fox fur on a fashion show. This was despite claiming only a year ago to not use fur in their designs. 

In response, NYC Animal Defense League ran actions against Marc Jacobs on the 31st of June, targeting a fashion event being run at NYC Public Library. This event included a confrontation with Marc Jacobs’ husband (a video of this is available on CAFT’s YouTube channel). Disruptive protests in Marc Jacobs stores were also held, with some activists suggesting that they’d been locked into the store. 

The broader CAFT campaign against LVMH has been continuing. The two immediate targets are now Max Mara and Marc Jacobs, with the long-term target remaining LVMH. On the 21st to the 23rd of July, CAFT ran a ‘Summer Beatdown Against Fur’. The results of this weekend of action are still unfolding. 

To get involved in the campaign, CAFT recommends six types of action: demonstrations, leafleting, propagandizing (e.g. wheat-pasting posters), video-based activism, canvassing, and other creative actions you can think of. More information regarding these suggestions are found on their website. 

[Image credit: South Wales Hunt Sabs]

Thanks to a tip-off, Northern Counties Mink Hounds were unable to hunt at the start of the month following the arrival of hunt sab groups from West Yorkshire, Nottingham and Sheffield. Information that is passed on is vital for wildlife protection as, with only 26 packs throughout the UK and Ireland who operate in small numbers, these hunts are elusive. Once they are located, however, they often simply pack up and go home. Saboteurs have since been keeping an eye on their kennels which has deterred any hunting from taking place on specific days. This consistent pressure, if continued over a long period of time and combined with other tactics, is a sure way to force a hunt to disband. For example, it was announced this month that the Leadon Vale Basset Hounds, who have been hunting hare since 1967, have folded. One major factor in this was that multiple landowners were no longer inviting them due to ‘unwanted attention’ from hunt sabotage groups, including Severn Vale, over the last few years. Now there are only 5 basset packs operating, making them even more vulnerable to a targeted campaign. Tip off’s can be made anonymously via the Hunt Saboteurs Association tip-off line at 07443 148 426.

The supplementary Badger cull began at the start of the month and is operating in 29 zones. The cull is primarily known for its ‘intensive’ period in autumn but the murder of badgers also takes place for 8 months in areas which have already been victim to 4 years of culling. Supplementary culling often doesn’t receive the attention it deserves even though 10,000’s could be killed. However, action is being taken. Saboteurs and animal liberation activists survey the countryside for cage traps during the day and for marksman at night. Devon County Hunt Sabs was successful recently in stopping a shooter who was forced to hide in crops and inevitably left with empty body bags. Key to this success is based on years of expertise and intelligence gathering, but everyone starts from the same place and results can be achieved quickly. In a social media post also published from the group, advice is given on what you can do to help stop the cull. Derbyshire Against The Cull have also been active by providing a sett surveying workshop, giving people from the local community an opportunity to learn what to look out for. For further information on how to get involved, hunt sabotage and anti-cull groups can be contacted (all of which can be found via a quick search on the internet). 

The importance of surveying shouldn’t be underestimated. On discovering and dismantling ‘death traps’ used by the game industry, Suffolk & Essex hunt sabs highlighted how indiscriminate the killing of wildlife is for the purpose of protecting birds used for shooting. They reaffirmed that these can be dealt with simply by going ‘off the beaten track away from footpaths’ in the countryside and to ‘look for these cruel devices’.  

Snares, which are cheap and easy methods of brutal suffering, have now been banned in Wales. Though many wildlife killers are not concerned with abiding the law and are likely to continue using them, others will stop and should be seen as a positive step. This has been achieved through evidence gathering and campaigning by groups such as Hunt Investigation Team as well as many others.

Another important development relating to the legal world is the prosecution of Angela Jarrom; a hunt supporter who, in October 2022, almost killed a Northants hunt saboteur by hitting her at speed with her car. Though the state is not a realistic method for animal liberation (let alone total liberation), this prosecution is arguably positive as it will deter others from extreme forms of violence, even if the punishment is considered minor. It is likely that this would not have been successful in the courts without such damning video evidence, thus reaffirms how vital video cameras are. All sabotage groups benefit from donations, especially as equipment gets smashed, damaged or stolen, and is a sure method of support that people can contribute to, even if unable to take part directly.  

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD

The siege of UAV Tactical Systems by Palestine Action has reached day 70 and has largely been affected by the recent air strikes on the Palestinian city of Jenin by the Israeli military in the last couple of week. These killed at least 12 Palestinians, injured more than 100, and forced thousands to flee Jenin refugee camp. Weapon manufacturers in Britain are directly responsible for these, as they provide the Israeli military with the deadly machinery.

PalAction states that on June 21, “the Israeli military used a drone to assassinate three Palestinians in Jenin. An Elbit Hermes 450 carrying missiles was deployed in the extrajudicial execution of Mohammed Owais (28), Suhaib Al-Ghoul (27) and Ashraf Murad Al-Saadi (17). This was the first time a drone was used in an assassination in 21 years.”

Elbit Systems produces 85% of the Israeli military’s drones and labels their weapons as “battle tested” because they have been used by Israel to murder, maim and surveil the Palestinian population in Gaza. During the siege of UAV Tactical Systems as part of the action #ShutElbitDown, the actionists honoured the martyrs of Palestine.

In a further step of criminalising Palestine Action, four actionists have been sentenced to prison for an action against Teledyne Labtech, a supplier of components for missiles, military aircraft and drones, radar systems and more, in December 2022. Their action has dismantled over 1.2million worth of military equipment for Israel’s army. Three of the four actionists have received sentences of 23 months and one for 27 months, with half of the sentences to be served in prison. If you want to write to PalAction activists in prison, drop an email here: [email protected].

In solidarity with these actionists and in preparation for the International day of action for prisoners, over 75 public figures signed a statement demanding the release of the 7 PalAction actionists in prison and for all pending charges for over 100 actionists to be dropped.

To support the international day of action taking place on 22nd July, Palestine Action is asking for all supporters to organise solidarity actions and protests under the banner “Free the actionists”. You can take part by protesting outside your local CPS office or at a company which facilitates the production of Israeli weapons. More information and ideas for different actions you can take can be found here on their website: palestineaction.org/prisoners-day-of-action

Photo: Palestine Action honours the martyrs of Palestine at their siege of UAV Tactical as part of #ShutElbitDown

An anonymous contributor has sent a fundraiser text relating to Strefi Hill. Donate if you can, and share the word if you can’t!

“Our opposition to the constant repression and the attempt by investors to loot the area character of our neighbourhood is a daily struggle. In their efforts to destroy the character of our neighbourhood, to kick us out of our homes, to ban us the access to the now-occupied, green and public spaces, we respond with our daily presence and action in the neighbourhood where we live, work, get politicised, organise and develop our relations.

Our goal and vision is to keep the character that we ourselves have given to our neighbourhood for years now, to keep Strefi Hill accessible to every being, human and non. We don’t accept any other version of the Hill, other than the one of a public space, that is precious for us all, for the countless species of plants (rare or not) that grow in it, for its turtles and the dozens of birds that live on its trees.

Our interest is the liberation from the system that feeds repression and exclusion, for our lives to be as free and wild as possible, as close to nature as possible, as open to relationships as possible.

The Open Assembly for the Defence of Strefi Hill is starting a crowdfunding campaign for the financial support of the struggle for Strefi.

The exorbitant costs for legal actions against Prodea Investments, the arrests of our members and the frequent mobilisations are strangling our struggle. For our propaganda activities (newspaper, posters, events, materials, announcements) and to cover legal costs (appeals against Prodea and the Municipality, arrests of its members) we need to cover 5000 euros.

We call on you to financially support the common struggle to save Strefi Hill, Exarchia and their history from the most brutal and coordinated attack the neighbourhood has ever experienced.

STREFI HILL WILL REMAIN FREE, IT WON’T BECOME ANYONE’S OWN PROPERTY

Our campaign in English, Greek, Italian, French, German
https://www.firefund.net/savestrefihill“

The Campaign against the Fur Trade (CAFT) continues its campaign against luxury goods businesses LVMH and Max Mara.

The main action this month has been the weekend of action from the 9th to the 11th of June. Across three days there were 20 protests, which helped to continue to keep the heat up against these upholders of animal cruelty.

Unsurprisingly, the fur industry hasn’t seemed too pleased with CAFT recently. Earlier this month Keith Dargatz, a fur farmer, responded with violence against a CAFT member protesting the opening day of the American Mink Exchange. In a very fortunate chain of events, that farmer had been raided in 1995, no activists were arrested after the raid. Unknown to him, Keith spent some good time screaming “Are you guys ALF? Are you guys ALF people?!” to various former ALF prisoners that had served time for other actions.

In NYC, physical force was also used against CAFT protestors in a Dior store. Evidence can be seen on CAFT’s Instagram page for both cases. CAFT recommends leaving negative reviews on the Dior 5th Avenue store’s page for this, or phoning 646-915-0420 to complain.

For advice on how to get involved in the campaign, CAFT’s views on how to handle police whilst on protest, and on why targeting fur alone is the most effective strategy, take a look at CAFT’s website.

In the meantime, the struggle goes on!

Mink and Otter hunting season has begun so hunt saboteurs across the country are keeping an eye on the activity at kennels. Only 26 registered packs exist in the UK and Ireland, making them vulnerable to the multiple sabotage groups that operate. These packs operate using a small number of hounds and are usually transported in commercial and domestic vehicles, thus making them more difficult to locate oppose to a mounted hunt who are more obvious in appearance and use larger vehicles such as horse boxes and trailers. Efforts to continue hunting under the radar however inevitably get ruined upon the arrival of multiple sabotage groups forcing them to pack up. This was seen recently when Three Counties Hunt Sabs, Severn Vale Hunt Sabs, Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch and Herefordshire Hunt Sabs who recently stopped Three Counties Minkhounds from hunting. Members of the public can play an important role in sabotaging a hunt by notifying suspicious behaviour. This can be done by contacting the Hunt Saboteurs Association tip-off line at 07443148426. Making a call or sending a message can be enough to stop wildlife from being killed.

Whilst on the lookout for ‘any wildlife murders’, Jorvik and West Yorkshire hunt sabotage groups came across a lone shooter setting up a shooting hide and forced them to pack up and leave. Multiple sabotage groups elsewhere, including West Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and Staffordshire, were also successful throughout the month after finding and ‘decommissioning’ various spring traps and larsens. Underground Badger Syndicate, who also discovered an array of ‘animal persecuting contraptions’, concluded that there is more to be done; ‘It’s not the end though…[we] will be back’. The more you look, the more you find.

Demonstrations and outreach continued throughout the month, including against the West Norfolk Foxhounds and the North Cotswold Hunt. These are important as hunting relies heavily on securing revenue through fundraising events, which double up as recruiting drives for mounted riders and other followers who pay to spectate. Eliminate these lines of support and a hunt soon starts to crumble.

One protest that had a large presence of saboteurs in attendance was outside Dorchester Police station, following increasing violence and illegal hunting from hunts in Dorset. This reaffirms that even though legislation against hunting (with packs of hounds) exists, the police and crime prosecution service do not care about wildlife. As a matter of fact, the UK government took a last-minute U-turn on the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which would have added extra complications for hunting and detrimental to other animal industries. True wildlife defence has, and always will, come from action on the ground, implemented through a range of tactics from a myriad of people from different communities. Not the state.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD

Last Sunday, Palestine Action reached 28 days of siege of Elbit’s factory in Leicester!

Some of the latest actions in support of the ongoing siege include a spraypaint of “We ride 4 Palestine” on Uber’s Lime bikes in London, Red Leicester Choir performing songs in support of PalAction, and smashing and spraying Precision FM, the facilities manager of Leicester’s Israeli weapons factory.

Meanwhile, there have been a lot of news regarding charges and trials against PalAction.

Two actionists of PalActions current siege of Elbit’s factory in Leicester got detained for a couple of days and then released on May 24.

Two actionists who were involved in the groups’ siege of Leicester’s Israeli weapons factory in May last year went to court for a pre-trial hearing. They will be on trial from 19th June at Leicester Crown Court.

Three actionists who shut down Israel’s weapon’s factory in Tamworth were meant to be on trial on May 23 but the charges were dropped a day before the trial.

Further three actionists who helped shut down the Elbit HQ in London are on trial on Tuesday, May 30. Their charges were also dropped on the day.

Photo shows PalAction’s siege on Elbit’s HQ in London.

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

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.

[image credit: Staffordshire Hunt Sabs]

As we enter spring, the main fox and hare hunting season (using packs of hounds) comes to an end. The work of wildlife defenders and hunt saboteurs continues however as campaign strategies against these fox and hare hunts remain ongoing. Direct threats to wildlife continue elsewhere and so do the actions taken to protect it.

Though the main hunting season has finished, action against hunts continues. The East Essex Hunt, who have been abusing wildlife for over 200 years and have a historic reputation of violence against opponents of hunting, are now vurnerable. Huntsman Gary Thorpe, hunt secretary Roxy Dawson and chairperson Sally Greenlees have also vacated their positions, leaving the hunt with no senior staff with no replacements in sight. As part of a targeted campaign, North London Sabs exposed the hunt in national media, demonstrated all summer fundraising events and lobbied relevant landowners in addition to disrupting dozens of hunt meets. Neighbouring sabotage groups have also contributed to these efforts. In a recent Facebook post, the London-based saboteurs reaffirmed their stance to anyone who would consider taking up vacant positions in the hunt; ‘expect us, and our friends’.

Demonstrations by locals and sabotage groups have also been carried out against the Cottesmore Hunt and the West Norfolk Foxhounds at their ‘fun ride’ events which aim to raise money and recruit new supporters to the hunts. The tactic of discouraging support to a hunt is important as running a hunt isn’t cheap. Without a cash flow that comes from fundraising events and paid supporters, a hunt cannot afford to operate.

In a seperate attempt to not fully dispand, some hunts will amalgemate. In Somsert, the West Somerset Beagles and the Ilminster Beagles are to join together and become Ilminster and West Somerset Beagles, meaning one less pack of hounds hunting hares. The county once had five hare hunts but now only have one. As hare hunting becomes concentrated to one pack, they become more vulnerable to a targeted campaign. If successful, the county could be free of hare hunts.

The vast majority of hunting hounds in the UK and Ireland are used to hunt foxes, but some are used to hunt stags. Only three packs exist in the UK, plus one in Ireland, and continues throughout April. Much attention is given to fox hunting, due to its scale, but multiple sabotage groups, have also kept up the pressure on some these stag hunts and have successfully prevented their efforts. However, the Quantock Stag Hounds and Devon & Somerset Stag Hounds were able to kill stags on separate occasions. Saboteurs present published evidence of this and highlighted how stag hunts use of loopholes to evade an anti-hunting law. Preventing a hunt killing is the primary aim but when this cannot be achieved, raising awareness on public platforms, along with an education approach, can be enough for others to decide to contribute to the campaign and take action. As the situation escalated throughout the month, more sabotage groups travelled from afar to show solidarity and get involved, which is not only important for the primary objective of protecting wildlife but also for the moral to keep up the fight.

Earlier in the month, the UK Government released the figures for the 2022 badger cull. This cull has been going for 10 years and has, according to government documents, resulted in over 200,000 badgers killed to appease the dairy industry, with property developers, private estates, golf courses, wedding venues and others benefiting. The controversy of the badger cull has emboldened many people to get involved in however way they saw fit. Some took a direct approach to stopping the badger cull, including hunt saboteurs and others working autonomously, by destroying cages used to trap badgers and preventing marksmen from shooting, whilst others have taken up a traditional campaigning and outreach approach. To quote Underground Badger Syndicate; “Even though the numbers are horrific, those who fought to protect setts and their inhabitants should still take pride in their actions. There are badgers still alive because of what you did.”.

Spring time is a busy time for wildlife. While many embrace this, gamekeepers and others intend to dissimate anything that they see as a threat to their interests (sometimes as pathetic as having a neat and tidy lawn). However, simply walking around the countryside can make a difference when looking in the right places. As Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs have shown in recent social media posts showing multiple traps they had removed, ‘direct action saves lives’.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD