November Demos Roundup

                                                                                                              

Despite the chilly weather SPEAK supporters have been out on numerous demos this November protesting against Oxford University’s ongoing use and abuse of animals within its laboratories. This month saw some interesting comments...

                                                                                                                    

Every Thursday activists can be found standing opposite the new lab on South Parks Road, ready to debate with any of the science students who pass by. On one demo this month a student stopped to complain that as someone who will be experimenting on animals at some point on her course, the images of animals suffering within labs that are shown on the SPEAK placards made her feel bad – good! SPEAK are here to make people think, question and realise the harm that is done by animal experimentation. Hopefully she will now ask herself why she feels so bad about vivisection, could it be perhaps the fact that she knows it is totally unethical to do and therefore shouldn’t do it...

                                                                                                         

According to another student who walked past the demo, one of his lectures had included an hour’s talk about the SPEAK demonstrations. Whilst it’s nice to learn that the University are publishing SPEAK’s presence, it is doubtful that lecturers are revealing the true facts about the sheer scale and horror of animal suffering inside the labs and why just people are prepared to give up so much of their time to try to stop it.

                                                                                                                      

SPEAK supporters have seen a noticeable increase in support from those attending the Saturday degree ceremonies in the last few months. There have been many positive comments, people thanking activists for their commitment and many asking what more they can do to make a difference.

                                                                                                  

This increasing support comes despite the animal researchers’ best efforts in recent times to commend vivisection at every opportunity, through all the different types of media.