Demo Reports - Thursday May 24th

Ring Road Demo

SPEAK supporters gathered again to demonstrate their determination to fight against the suffering of thousands of non human animals inside Oxford University’s laboratories and to show that we will not be beaten by a minority of powerful people who have attempted to try and silence us by misusing the power they have been granted as public servants.

This was once again a very visual demo that drew fantastic support from passing members of the public and motorists. Our persistence in keeping these demos going has meant that Oxford University has not been able to mask its nasty little secret on South Parks Rd and animals like 'Felix' are no longer faceless numbers on a rubber stamped Home Office licence.

Those who claim that the public are overwhelmingly in favour of animal research would do well to come and attend a SPEAK demo and see and hear how very wrong they are. It is very easy for Oxford University to label all those who speak out as “extremists”, it requires no intellectual effort or need for debate on their part only a few friends in high places to act as the messenger for their false allegations. It takes considerably more effort and hard work to take your message out to the public and be available to argue your case.

SPEAK will not back down or shy away from taking the message about animal suffering and backward scientific thinking to the public, nor will we be cowed by the bullying tactics of Oxford University and its friends. We have a large and growing body of public support and we will work hard to ensure that body of opinion becomes a tidal wave that will eventually free Felix and all the other animal and human victims of the arrogant and blinkered vision of an unrepresentative minority.

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; thats the essence of inhumanity - George Bernard Shaw

Site Demo

French journalists accompanied SPEAK supporters for most of the demo outside the Oxford torture lab today.

Journalists asked many questions about the campaign, the ethical issues and the scientific arguments against vivisection. His question of “you must be very committed to come here every week?” was met with the reply of “hardly, spending a few hours standing outside Oxford University is no hardship, especially when compared to the suffering those animals being experimented on go through.”

He didn’t really seem able to understand the passion that drives people to do what they can to try to stop the horrendous suffering caused to animals by experimentation. And just like a lot of journalists that SPEAK have dealt with he seemed reluctant to get in touch with science based anti vivisection groups to talk to the scientific experts, despite having already interviewed an Oxford University vivisector.

Let’s hope that this time a journalist actually makes the effort to hear and publish both sides of the scientific debate on vivisection, instead of just falling into the trap of quoting an everyday protester next to a pro vivisection professor – hardly a balanced debate!

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