Protest Letters

Pressure can be brought to bear on Oxford University by informing politicians, the media and the public of exactly what is being proposed at Oxford. Alerting the wider public is essential to maximise the outcry, especially in view of the lies coming from the University. The only way Oxford will ever tell the truth is if they are forced to.

The government, vivisection industry and the media constantly misrepresent the animal rights movement. By writing letters it will at least start a process where the truth can begin to spread to a wider audience.

Below you will find two sample letters that you can personalise and send to the media and MPs, plus tips on contacting your MP. Please forward copies of responses or coverage you receive to the SPEAK Campaign.

Also, you can write to the Crown Prosecution Service and Thames Valley Police asking why they refuse to prosecute the Oxford vivisector who was investigated by the police for animal abuse. See here for sample letters.

You can write to your MP:

• by post: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
• by fax: see www.faxyourmp.com
• by email via www.locata.co.uk/commons
• or you can write to their constituency office.

Please bear in mind that a letter faxed or sent by post is more likely to be read by your MP rather than one sent by e-mail.

Sample letter to MP

Dear ..........

Last January, the SPEAK campaign won a major victory against Cambridge University in stopping their plans for what was to be Europe's largest primate research centre.

The SPEAK campaign highlighted the undemocratic nature of the Government's intervention and their alliance with Cambridge University in going against the tide of public opposition to the research centre. The Government was the main backer of the project, and its main protagonist Labour's Science Minister Lord Sainsbury, well known to have huge financial interests in the Biotechnology industry.

The motives and ethics behind the political duplicity which accompanied the attempts to forge ahead with plans for the centre deserve closer scrutiny. On two separate occasions, Cambridge District Council dismissed the planning application made by the University; the Government then instigated an independent planning enquiry which once again resulted in the refusal for planning permission on the grounds that Cambridge University had failed to demonstrate that the proposed centre at 307, Huntingdon Rd in Girton was in the national interest. Nevertheless, John Prescott overturned the decision of the independent planning inspector (indeed, one that they themselves had appointed!), and gave the green light for the laboratory. The whole process made a mockery of the democratic principles which the Government purports to represent.

It would appear that some of the plans projected for the abandoned Cambridge facility are to be taken up by a new animal research centre being built at Oxford University. The decision to build this new centre at the University is now being challenged by the SPEAK campaign.

Oxford University have purposely misled the public from the outset as to the true nature of the centre now being built. They originally claimed that the new building was to be "a holding centre for animals" - a lie which persisted for a number of weeks until a source within Oxford University informed the SPEAK Campaign that the new centre would not be a holding unit as the University had alleged, but would be used for the vivisection of animals.

Oxford later admitted that their statement had been due to a "misunderstanding" - one which lasted several weeks in local media outlets!

But the University have continued to mislead the public; they now deny that any consultation ever took place between themselves and Cambridge following Cambridge University's aborted plans for the proposed primate research centre in Girton; they deny that the new facility in Oxford will be taking on the role previously earmarked for the cancelled Cambridge project.

However, according to the source within the University who had originally alerted SPEAK about the centre, Oxford had in fact been in high level talks with both the Government and Cambridge University several weeks prior to the Cambridge decision. Indeed, Lord Sainsbury himself admitted that new facilities would be found to take over the work that had been planned for Cambridge.

The SPEAK campaign will be campaigning against vested interests dictating the future blueprint for the expansion of vivisection in this country. The SPEAK campaign is about saving lives, both human and non-human - can the vivisection industry truly say the same?

It is hoped that as our MP you will oppose any future expansion of vivisection in the UK and that you will actively campaign against the use of primates at both the new centre at Oxford University and in the UK in general.

Yours sincerely

Sample letter to Media

Letters Editor

Dear Sir/Madam

The SPEAK campaign recently achieved an historic victory in defeating Cambridge University's plans to become the primate vivisection capital of Europe. This campaign was conducted within a legal framework, contrary to reports by certain sections of the media who continue to brand animal rights activists as extremists.

In its ongoing campaign against vivisection, SPEAK are challenging Oxford University's decision to build a new animal research centre. The centre - already under construction in Oxford - is the dream of people like billionaire Lord Sainsbury, who has extensive investments in the biotech industry and whose donations to the Labour party in excess of £11.5 million effectively bought him a life peerage and the influential role of science minister.

From the outset, Oxford University have misled the public as to the true nature of the centre now being built. The University originally claimed that the new building was to be "a holding centre for animals" a lie which persisted for a number of weeks until a source within Oxford University informed the SPEAK Campaign that the new centre would not be a holding unit as the University had alleged, but would be used for the vivisection of animals.

Oxford later admitted that their statement had been due to a "misunderstanding" - one which lasted several weeks in local media outlets!

The University have continued to mislead the people of Oxford; they deny that there has ever been any consultation between themselves and Cambridge following SPEAK's successful campaign to prevent Cambridge University's attemp to build a primate research centre; they have denied that the new facility in Oxford would take over some of what had been planned for the cancelled Cambridge project.

Fortunately, the source within the University who originally alerted SPEAK to the true purpose of the centre was able to confirm that Oxford had for several weeks prior to the Cambridge decision been in high level talks with both the Government and Oxford. Indeed, Lord Sainsbury himself admitted that new facilities would be found to take over the work that had been planned for Cambridge.

SPEAK will be challenging the lie peddled by the vivisection industry and successive Governments that vivisection helps people; we will be asking for a public debate to be held to present expert arguments against animal experiments and to demonstrate that the SPEAK campaign is as much about saving human lives as it is about non-human lives. SPEAK aims to present the public with the true facts so that they can make an informed choice about the subject.

The SPEAK campaign will not allow vested interests to dictate the future blueprint for the expansion of vivisection, and will continue to challenge the Government and the vivisection industry in this country. The SPEAK campaign is about saving lives, both human and non-human - can the vivisection industry truly say the same?