Felix Campaign Tour

Manchester University, 5th October, 2007

The SPEAK campaign embarked on the first leg of its Felix Campaign Tour, a tour of universities that, like Oxford, are involved in abusing animals in vivisection laboratories with a demonstration at the Manchester University Medical School. With the recent announcement that there has been a 56% rise in the number of procedures carried out on animals in university laboratories since 1996, the tour was organised as a way to raise awareness of the truth about what really goes on in these institutions of so-called academic excellence. There are close links between many of the universities and their professors who commit these awful acts of abuse on innocent creatures, with much research and other forms of collaboration being carried out jointly between various institutions. It can be no coincidence that in the same year that Dame Nancy Rothwell, Vice President of Research at Manchester University and MRC Research Professor gave much outspoken support for Oxford's new vivisection laboratory, she was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford.

Activists travelled to Manchester from all over the country to demonstrate against the appalling abuse of animals who, like Felix at Oxford, suffer and die in their thousands in cruel and worthless experiments in university laboratories up and down the country. With university security guards looking on, the demonstrators lined the outside of the building with banners and placards and proceeded to inform students and the public about the horrific animal suffering that is going on at Oxford and at their own university. Information was imparted via the megaphone and leaflets to those passing by and those going into the building. It was something of a novelty for those of us more used to demonstrating in Oxford to have leaflets gratefully accepted by students entering the medical school, who clearly have not been subjected to the same level of brainwashing and intimidation that Oxford doles out to any students who might have a mind of their own.

One similarity between Manchester and Oxford was pointed out to the protestors by a student entering the building, who told them that the animals that are being abused by those involved in the barbaric experiments at the university are kept on the top floor of the building, where no-one has access to except for those involved in tormenting them, and that in fact the lift of the building does not even go up to that floor, which can only be accessed via a private stairway . This we know to have been the same at Oxford's Department of Experimental Psychology. This surely begs the question; if they are so proud of the research they are carrying out, why the secrecy, why hide it away from everyone, even the medical students working in the same building? A huge amount of support was received from the public throughout the afternoon, many of whom were shocked to find out about the appalling level of suffering inflicted on animals in university laboratories and who gave their details to local activists, keen to get involved with the campaign.

The day finished with a showing of the SPEAK DVD to local activists at a venue in central Manchester. SPEAK would like to thank all of those who attended these events for the great support they gave on the day and have given throughout the campaign so far. SPEAK's Felix Campaign Tour will continue in Cambridge. Click here for further details. See you there.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for the purpose of legal protest and information only. It should not be used to commit any criminal acts or harassment.

Felix Campaign Tour

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