Oxford activists to attend global ‘terror camp’
British animal rights groups plan to export their tactics overseas at a global training camp next month. Oxford lab pressure group Speak will be attending the gathering, according to the organisers. Also attending will be prominent UK activist groups Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC) and Gateway to Hell, and campaigners from Europe and beyond.
Businesses targeted by animal rights activists fear that the camp, dubbed AR 2006, will be used to train supporters in the practice of lethally violent activity. The organisers of the event, to be held in an undisclosed location in the South East of England, promise visitors a timetable including classes in ‘unarmed combat’, ‘defending your comrades’ and ‘surveillance and counter-surveillance’, as well as chances for yoga and ‘socialising and entertainment’.
A spokeswoman from SHAC told The Oxford Student, “Fighting against animal cruelty is very confrontational. Don’t forget that fi ve activists have died in the battle against cruelty. As I’m sure you can imagine, people can and do get into violent confl ict so it’s important that people can defend themselves.” Pro-Test spokesman Iain Simpson described AR 2006 as a “terror camp”. He said, “This shows that animal rights extremism is increasingly becoming a global problem.
A spokesman for the Association for the British Pharmaceutical Industry said, “Although these classes are billed as being for selfdefence, we are worried they will be used to terrorise and intimidate people connected with the pharmaceutical industry.’’ The AR 2006 organisers hope to attract between 300 and 500 activists to the gathering, set to take place between June 23 and June 25. Members of campaign groups from 25 different countries are expected to be present.
Speak spokesman Mel Broughton denied that he would be attending the event in an individual capacity. The event website states, “The aim of the gathering is to strengthen the International grass roots movement by bringing together activists from all over the world to share their experiences of campaigning and their skills and know how.
“As well as enabling activists to improve as individuals, all this will also strengthen the movement as a whole by building new contacts and networks between countries.” The National Extremism Technical Co-ordination Unit, which investigates animal rights extremism, has been made aware of the event. Police have increasingly been evaded by animal rights extremists exploiting disparities within international law.
In February 2006, Florida-based activist Nick Attwood published the personal details of 40 people linked with the building of Oxford’s South Parks Road animal research facility through his website Bite Back. The US constitutional guarantee of free speech allows such actions unless there is direct evidence of an imminent attack. UK authorities were unable to prosecute because the information was released from a US server.
In response to Attwood’s actions, an Oxford University spokesman said, “This time, the activists are trying to go through the back door.” The SHAC spokeswoman said, “We are at the dawn of the globalisation of the animal rights movement. The gathering is a physical manifestation of that. “We’ll be sharing tactics and information among activists from around the world. If you can affect a company wherever they go in the world you’re a step closer to victory.
The training camp website advertises the AR 2006 World Cup as one of the main attractions of the weekend. The SHAC spokesperson predicted a trouble-free win for the England team.
25th May 2006