“We’ve all heard the story of backyard chickens, about how ethical it is, and how it can be a great way to teach children about animals. This is a lie! It’s always exploitation of the chickens, and they often murder them as well. A small school in Denmark was spreading the same lies, and they had decided that they thought it was appropriate to murder a rooster in front of the school children, and then feed him to them afterwards. The school had announced that this was something they were gonna start doing regularly – maybe one of the next victims would be one of the baby chicks they had enslaved. We will not stand for the normalization of speciesism, and we will definitely never stand for the normalization of murder.
Late at night, the day before the planned execution of the rooster, we cut open the fences and cages and took every last one of them with us. The rooster, 2 hens, and 9 baby chicks were all liberated that night, and brought to safe homes, where they will never have to be exploited or fear for their lives.
The school has said that they want to get more chickens who they will kill and feed to the children. To that we say; just you try. We will keep coming back and liberating them until you stop this insanity. And next time we will not leave the place as nice as we did the first time.
The liberation of these innocent individuals, was only possible because of the amazing humans who opened their homes and offered a safe life for the chickens. If you are able to take in liberated animals, ALWAYS reach out to activists you think can help get animals out of their prisons. The more safe homes we have, the more non-human animals we can save.”
[photo unrelated, hunting tower arson in Italy Jan 2024]
According to local pro-hunt media, five separate hunting seats were attacked with wire in the south west of Germany during the afternoon of the 30th of June. One of the arsons was extinguished by a cyclist that found the tower on fire and used their water bottle to bring the flames down. Another one was reported by a dog walker, but the chair was completely engulfed in flames. The rest were reported by the local huntsman, who found them and extinguished the little fire there was left.
All the seats were burnt in open field, where there was no risk of spreading the fire into neighbouring trees, and the police suspects animal liberation activists to be behind the actions.
The supplementary badger cull begun at the start of the month and so has the mobilisation hunt saboteurs, anti-cull activists and members of the public who are checking setts for signs of being baited or tampered with. Some groups have posted evidence of healthy badger activity but things can change quickly. Derbyshire Against The Cull, for example, has been concerned about the presence of a known badger-killer who has been regularly spotted near a hotspot culling area, though hasn’t had the chance to go shooting due to the groups presence.
Ambitious for an end to the badger cull, Northamptonshire Badger Group advised to ‘vote wisely’ in the general election, hoping that the main opposition party (who are predicted to form the next successive government) would abandon the murderous policy. However, the badger group later confirmed that the Labour party will allow pre-existing cull licenses to continue. Though its unsurprising to many, it is worth noting that legality has little bearing on the protection of wildlife and though there isn’t justice, there is us.
Saboteurs from Nottingham, Sheffield, Lincoln and West Midlands foiled plans by the Dove Valley Mink Hounds to hunt the River Trent. As they did last month, on discovering the presence of saboteurs, the hunt resorted to walking back to the meet and were escorted back to the kennels. Despite the fact that Mink and Otter hound pacts are notoriously covert, they continue to be apprehended.
The Cottesmore Hunt are continuing to have a hard time as Northants Hunt Saboteurs keeps up the pressure during an open day at the kennels and a fun ride. Both of these are recruiting drives to recruit new members and raise money. The presence of saboteurs and protesters, highlighting the brutal reality of hunting is bad for business as it puts off any new interest they may have and also discourages existing members as they may not want to be publicly seen to be supporting the murder of innocent wild animals. This is one tactic that has been applied consistently as part of a pressure campaign. Simultaneous action overtime, using different tactics, is a proven method to shutting down a hunt for good. Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs also held a protest against a fundraising event held by the Grove and Rufford Hunt.
After freeing a severely injured corvid from a Larsen trap, Underground Badger Syndicate sent a clear message to a gamekeeper by dealing with three high seats, three larsens, a ladder trap, multiple fens and a fox cage. In a social media post including a video of what they got up to, they stated ‘you destroy lives, we destroy your shoot’.
Herefordshire Hunt Saboteurs, who also dealt with two types of spring traps and poison hoppers, have a similar message; ‘direct action saves lives’.
Any information about wildlife killing fundraisers, Mink/Otter hunts, the location of traps, tools and infrastructure used to kill and anything dodgy or suspicious relating to the interference or ill-treatment of wildlife should be reported to your local hunt sabotage group. Unsure of your local group? Contact the Hunt Saboteurs Association’s tip-off line at 07443148426 or via social media. The smallest bit of information could make the biggest different to an innocent life.
Between June 15-19, around 300 activists from different parts of Europe and the Nordics gathered for a climate camp in Gävle, Sweden.
The camp was organized by the Take Concrete Action network, which previously organized a camp and blockade against the cement factory Cementa on Gotland in 2022. (Link: https://youtu.be/zROOiTOEafE)
At the camp in Gävle, folks from the radical movement came together with people from the broad environmental one, you could make contacts, there were opportunities for learning, and to mobilize future climate actions. One could contribute to the escalation needed in the climate struggle.
The camp had a schedule filled with interesting talks. It was five days with, among other things, anti-colonial perspectives, reports from anti-fascists, information on anti-repression. There was a good atmosphere in the camp, with vegan food, and action training. On Monday, June 15, it was time for mass action, when more than a hundred activists blocked two entrances to Stora Enso’s pulp factory in Gävle. Stora Enso is an international pulp company, which depletes forests around the world, which has fatal consequences for non-human animals, and minority groups, for example in both Sweden and Uruguay.
The day of action began on Sunday night, when the activists gathered and made their way to the action site and structured themselves into friend groups and finger formations. Of course, they were closely pursued by cops, who awkwardly stumbled around the forest in useless attempts to keep track of the activists. When the activists marched towards the industrial building, singing “Tout Le Monde Dèteste La Police”, there were police cars both in front and behind the demonstration train. Nevertheless, the demonstration reached its goal.
Arriving at Stora Enso, the activists split into two groups, one finger blocking the West Gate, and another finger blocking the East Entrance. At 07:00 the blockade began, after which it did not end until 10 hours later. At 17:00 the activists chose to end the blockade. Then they had caused trouble for Stora Enso’s operations all day, prevented transport from getting in and out of the area.
The blockade was also well attended by journalists and cops (from at least three different police regions). Of course, representatives from Stora Enso refused to publicly comment on the activists’ criticism of their environmentally destructive activities.
Overall, the camp was well organized and inspiring. Activists met, exchanged experiences and started new fruitful relationships. The action, the blockade against Stora Enso, was successful and showed what can be achieved when enough people gather and take direct action together. We can shut down what destroys us, and expose the crap companies. It will be exciting to see what the next climate camp with Take Concrete Action mobilizes resistance against.
In the month of June we have heavily focused on raising funds for the Susaron prisoners by selling t-shirts and tote bags. You’ll be happy to hear that the pre-orders have now finished and you won’t see us promoting it any longer! We still don’t know how much money we’ve managed to raise (we will only know once we post all the parcels and pay for the postage), but we are hoping to have made a decent amount to support them in prison!
Lastly on the prisoner support corner, we wrote about Marius needing support in order to get gender affirming surgery in prison. You can still help today!
In the direct action corner it looks like Denmark was busy this month. It was also interesting to see the first fur farm raid of the season, where people opened every fox cage at a fur farm in USA.
By country, the number of reported direct actions in June are:
DENMARK: 3 UK: 3 USA: 1 ARGENTINA: 1
As always, if you appreciate the work that we do and would like to support us, please send us some coins.
Sindre has been granted longer leaves from detention and is sometimes sleeping at home now. He is still serving his sentence, which does not have a final date and psych hospital has the last word on when Sindre is done serving a sentence that without the mental hospital would’ve been a four month prison sentence. Please write a letter to Sindre today and send him love!
Sindre is an animal rights activist, 21 years old, from so-called Sweden. Sindre is a kind and respected comrade in the animal rights community, who has fought against animal abusers in various ways.
In October 2023, Sindre was sentenced to forensic psychiatric forced care. The verdict refers to prosecution for actions in 2021, against the former fur farmer Niklas Pettersson. Sindre denies the alleged crime. Sindre was also sentenced to pay SEK 10,000 in damages to Niklas. The sentence was appealed, but later in 2023 The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict. If Sindre had not been sentenced to forensic psychiatric care, his prison sentence would have been only four months.
Sindre was detained immediately after the trial, on the ninth of October, and has since been imprisoned without an end date. A horrible sentence!
Support Sindre!
Help him endure behind bars, let him know he’s not alone. Send letters to the following address:
At 18:00 GMT+1 , Monday 1st July, we will shut down the pre orders for hoodies and tshirts to raise funds for susaron prisoners. We will not print extras. We will not have more. Today is the last day you can order them.
Every single penny on profit will go to support the prisoners accused of arson at a meat packaging plant in Chile. You get some threads, they get legal support and vegan food!
Please donate generously, grab yourself some merch and support folks who fight on the frontlines.
ATTENTION! Today marks the last week you’ll have a chance to place a pre-order to buy a t-shirt or a tote bag and support Presos Susaron. Qwerty will not print extras. We will order only as many as there are pre-orders. Grab yourself one before the end of the month if you want to support the three comrades in prison accused of burning a meat packaging plant in Chile.
We are still; below the threshold to place the order with the printers, so please, if you can afford it, grab yourself a tee or a tote bag. You can choose your own price, you can donate more if you can afford it, you can donate less if you’re unable to meet the suggested price, every single penny in profit will go to the support group who keeps Ru, Tortu and Panda going whilst they wait for trial.
They have been locked up since October 2022, accused of being part of a group who set on fire meat lorries and the refrigeration units of a meat packaging plant. Itamar was released from prison back in March having been given a five year tag sentence. The other three comrades are still awaiting trial. They are anarchists, vegan and straight edge and through their time in prison they’ve insisted they maintain strong political views and are proud of their actions. They need our support. Please show up!
If you cannot afford buying a tee or tote, share this post! Make sure as many people as possible see it!
Autonomous anarcho anti-speciesists countered the National Animal Rights Day (NARD) in Naarm (so called Melbourne) last Sunday. The following statement was read out:
“We are here today because NARD globally has been founded by Aylam Orian, who is a zionist and proudly served as part of the israeli occupation forces (IOF) for 4.5 years. A NARD event is planned in tel aviv, so-called israel this weekend whilst just over 100km away the Rafah Massacre is occuring and the genocide in Palestine continues to unfold. This is not a war, it’s a genocide!
Organisers of the tel aviv NARD event have expressed pro-israel and genocidal views on social media whilst also accusing those who stand for Palestinian liberation of anti-semitism. Opposing zionism is not antisemitic!
Over 45,000 Palestinian people have been murdered to date including children. The genocide has been occurring for over 76 years. The IOF are relentlessly bombing the Palestinians and starving them of food and water. Children are having their limbs amputated without anaesthesia, we are seeing mass graves where people have had their hands zip tied and been shot point blank. We are seeing refugee camps being targeted. The IOF, in which the founder of this event has served, are bombing people in tents. We are seeing footage of a father holding up the decapitated body of his baby with an inferno behind him.
And let’s not forget, the IOF is also killing the animals in Gaza. The cats, the dogs, the donkeys, the free living animals. This is what NARD is supporting! Also, locally in Naarm, NARD is platforming two transphobes, who also hold other bigoted views, today as speakers.
We unequivocally reject NARD and all it represents.
If you care about Palestinian liberation, if you care about LBGTQIA+ rights and women’s rights, if you care about human beings, if you care about the animals in Palestine who are being obliterated, if you care about fighting against all forms of oppression because they all are interconnected and not just that which oppresses animals – then you should be aware that this does not align with NARD’s and it’s organisers’ values.”
Italian anti-speciesists Collettivo Spazio Animale recently asked NARD to take a position against the genocide and to publicly demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza – NARD declined to do so stating that they do not intend to take a public position, that allowing all the countries of the world to join is a stance of peace and that the organisation doesn’t take a stance on human issues. It was noted that so called israel was also hosting a NARD event with Tel Aviv organisers stating “when i took off NARD shirt I put on IDF uniform” and Tal Gilboa – a prominent israeli animal rights activist who has worked as one of Netayahu’s advisers on “animal rights” (that is, advising the israeli state on how to veganwash* the atrocities they commit) using zionist rhetoric, such as israel having the “right to defend itself”.
Locally in Naarm, the far right and fascist creep into animal rights spaces was evident during the NARD event when a woman, holding a Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) banner, approached us to state “I’m with the Jews” (conflating Judaism with zionism) and then continued with “Fck the Palestinians” and “Fck you too”. The NARD crowd also broke out into a “Free, free everyone” chant – giving #AllLivesMatter vibes and illustrating a complete lack of understanding of systemic racism and white supremacy. Enter stage left, the transphobes then came out of the woodwork taking specific aim at our comrade holding a trans flag. There were other instances of aggression from the NARD attendees with derogatory, abusive, ableist language and multiple physical incursions into our space in which they used intimidation tactics to attempt to silence us and push us out of the space. Interpersonal violence has consistently been a tool of colonial invasion, imperialist occupation and the maintenance of white supremacy.
Just listen to the fascists, they will always reveal who they are. The misogyny, ableism, racism, white supremacy, islamophobia, transphobia and the utter hatred for Palestinians on display for all to see. This encapsulates NARD – they became a visual representation of the reasons we countered them. The parable of the N*zi at the dinner table comes to mind when we saw first hand who is in their ranks and what they represent.
By tolerating bigotry “for the animals” single issue vegans uphold various types of supremacist ideologies, which only serve to uphold the human supremacism they claim to want to dismantle. This is not a pathway towards liberation! The animalisation of the Palestinian people by zionists has been an integral factor in justifying the genocide and their ethnic cleansing. And yet here we have a supposed animal rights organisation refusing calls to denounce so called israel for its genocide against Palestinians. Also, by refusing to condemn the genocide in Palestine, they are upholding and further entrenching colonialism, imperialism and capitalism – the foundations of which need to be dismantled and destroyed. Colonialism, imperialism and capitalism are also responsible for the animal industrial complex.
Animals are also exploited by the war machine globally for weaponry testing and data collection. The weapons which are “field” tested on and used to kill the Palestinian people are first tested on and used to kill animals – the connect is here!
We also wish to highlight the parallels between the Animal Rights Forum (ARF) in February 2024 and the NARD event in Naarm. There is long standing history of problematic speakers being platformed at the ARF and issues with the organising group, specifically one of the lead organisers. This year, the organisers of the ARF knowingly platformed a zionist as well as transphobic speakers (also allocated speaker spots at the NARD event). Prominent animal rights organisations and individuals knowingly stood besides these fascists, in some cases hosting and financially sponsoring the forum. To the orgs and individuals who have an endless list of pathetic reasons why they couldn’t walk away from this forum in full knowledge (prior to the forum commencing) that a zionist was being platformed – we still say, f*ck you. For all the times you have looked away – for ignoring the fascists, the misogynists, the transphobes, the conspiracy theorists, the anti-vaxxers and the zionists in animal rights spaces. It is counter revolutionary! With the exception of Naarm Hunt Saboteurs and a Greens MP, you all refused to boycott this forum despite global calls to boycott and divest from zionist affiliated spaces. Neo-liberal bourgeois notions of “choice” cannot justify your decision to partake and stand besides fascists – a decision steeped in racism and white supremacy. The creep of the far right and fascism looks the same no matter where we turn.
Any space that is zionist affiliated legitimises the zionist colony. We demand total rejection of zionism. So called israel can prosecute this genocide with impunity because of the power they’ve amassed from infiltrating our communities and spaces dedicated to justice, including the animal rights movement. We call on all comrades to unequivocally reject and stand against the infiltration of zionism in animal rights spaces, which requires collective active resistance – not silence and complicity.
The origins of the animal rights movement was born out of anti-fascism and we will reclaim the movement from those co-opting it with far right and fascist ideologies – the NARD and ARF events represent the rise of the far right and fascism in animal rights spaces.
Given our counter was a womens only disruption, we channelled the spirit of the Palestinian resistance by women. Even feminism has limitations when the liberation of Palestinian women will not spur others into action – complicity in genocide is antithetical to feminism.
We reject the far right and fascist creep into animal rights spaces. We reject the vegan washing of the zionist state. No amount of vegan boots in so-called vegan armies will ever inform our position. The oppression of other animals cannot be used to mask the subjugation of the Palestinians over decades. We reject the performative theatrics (animal bodies are not props!), saviourism and “celebrations” whilst other animals are lined up on kill floors in their billions facing their impending slaughter.
We stand in solidarity with Vegans in Palestine and other comrades globally who have taken a stance against NARD this year. We stand with anti-zionist Jews who are on the frontlines of solidarity actions with Palestine. Judaism is not Zionism. It is not anti-semitic to oppose zionism and this genocide.
Also, we wish to hold space for some of our comrades who have had their communities bombed, injured and killed by the so called israeli state.
The Palestinian resistance has deep seeded roots in every corner of the world, including at the steps on so called Bourke Street in Naarm. In under 30 minutes, we managed to claim the steps and send them packing only for them to take their cringey photos outside a pharmacy and continue talking into a vegan echo chamber at an empty amphitheatre – we hope the acoustics sucked.
We acknowledge that our resistance was undertaken on the stolen lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. Sovereignty was never ceded and we acknowledge the ongoing effects and suffering of colonisation on this land and those who have been fighting against and resisting the oppression for over 250 years. We also acknowledge the Elders past and present who continue to guide and teach. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.
Boycott and disrupt all spaces where zionists are platformed! Total Liberation Now! Long live the Palestinian Resistance!
End the occupation. Free Palestine. Free all Indigenous people, land, air and water.
No one is free until all are free.
THIS IS FOR REEM – THEY ARE ALL REEM.
– Anarcho Anti-Speciesists for Palestine – Naarm
“Veganwashing” refers to a form of whitewashing meant to encourage positive association of a subject with veganism or animal rights. In the context of Palestine, veganwashing refers to the strategic promotion of veganism by the illegal state of israel, in order to make israel appear liberal and progressive and distract attention away from ongoing violation of Palestinian rights and the genocide of the Palestinian people. Examples include: tel aviv markets itself as the “vegan capital of the world”; animal rights activists partnering with the so called israeli government to promote “meatless mondays” at the knesset.
{editor’s note: Over the past month, UBS has been reporting on their actions against a shoot that mutilated a bird used as a decoy in a trap. We have compiled the reports below}
A particularly nasty scumbag deserves a particularly excessive response. The poor excuse of a human who owned this Larsen before we went to town with it had mutilated a decoy crow so much it was difficult to even tell the age of the bird. All wing and tail feathers had been clipped, with obvious blood dry around the wings, showing how botched the procedure had been.
The crow is now being rehabbed by fantastic people who will ensure the bird grows strong and confident and is released back into the wild when they are ready.
The Larsen is now fairly sad. We don’t think it appreciated meeting the blunt force of a sledgehammer.
The extremely unnecessary use of a sledgehammer to bash a Larsen is nothing but a humble homage to the hilariously excessive video of Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs bashing mole traps with the same tool, but to be honest we think it’d be cute if the Sledgehammer Challenge took off. Make it a trend
Go upset a hunter somewhere.”
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27th May, UK
“THE REALITY OF THE ‘CONSERVATION WORK’ KEEPERS TAKE PART IN.
////What happens when we find a particularly scummy keeper, Part1/x)////
Imagine believing that as a gamekeeper you take part on conservation work, that you are helping the wildlife thrive and that you are on the side of nature.
You then set larsen traps to kill corvids and do not have enough with the murder of birds that have done nothing to you, you also decide the best way to do so is by mutilating your ‘decoy’ this much.
Make no mistake, wing clipping is cruel in every single case. There are not “good ways” of clipping someone’s wings. But this excruciatingly botched surgery might’ve costed the life of this individual that was just curious about the eggs you had baited your larsen with.
We know they are in the best hands possible and we will see how they evolve. Regardless of their prognosis, we will make this keeper pay for the suffering he has caused to so many.
Keep your eyes peeled, we have a lot to show you.”
//////////////////////////
3rd June, UK
“DON’T MIND US, WE ARE QUITE SURE THE TRAP IS OURS!
////What happens when we find a particularly scummy keeper, (Part 2/x)////
We told you about the bird with horribly clipped wings last week, and we said we would ensure to torment the keeper that did such a barbarity.
Well, we’ve been paying multiple visits to his land, which means we are making him sad on a regular basis.
This time, it is just a larsen that sat awaiting for us in his garage, the door locked shut was not an issue when his window was luckily broken when we arrived!
It was quite a funny image to walk down the footpath with a larsen under the arm a sunny sunday afternoon, having to say hello to more than one random walker.
We are not done with this keeper, by the end of the trapping season he is going to wish he took that job offer down in Kent!”
//////////////////////////
16th June, UK
“YOU DESTROY LIVES, WE DESTROY YOUR SHOOT.
Did you think we were done with the scumbag keeper who mutilated that crow? We were not. Accessing their garage through a miraculously broken window was not enough, stealing another Larsen was not enough, we needed to send the message, and so we did.
Three seats, three larsens, a ladder trap, a big bunch of Fenn traps and a fox cage later, we think we have let them know they are being watched.
They will likely feel the burn knowing that the fox trap they had set inside their walled garden is gone, shocking when it was ever so close to the posh twats bedroom! They will also be unimpressed having lost the ladder trap they hid inside one of their cow farms when they realised we were onto them.
There is fucking nowhere to hide when you have been found to be pure scum on the crust of this earth. We will search for you, we will destroy all your shit and we will ensure your life is more miserable by the day.
Think twice before mutilating birds again.
No justice, just rage.
UBS”
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