SHAC 7 Benefit at the Humanist Hall in Oakland, 1/11/06

Turnout at the benefit was strong and a fair amount of funds were raised to support the SHAC7's legal defense.

The benefit was sponsored by East Bay Animal Advocates & Compassionate Cooks.

Jake Conroy detailed his and the other's arrests across the country. He spoke of how the Federal government is essentially trying to stiffle free speech in the SHAC7 case by targeting activists for maintaining a website, using trumped-up charges through the relatively new Federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. He spoke of the Feds attempting to use this case, and other recent arrests and Grand Juries targeting activists nationwide, to set an example and intimidate not only animal activists but activists of all stripes who choose to vocally protest, take direct action, or even express support for such activities on websites. He seemed relatively confident that the SHAC7 can beat the charges, but he noted that even if they do not win their own freedom, that there are tens of activists for each one of the SHAC7 committed to direct action, disrupting the businesses of animal exploiters, and that the struggle for animal liberation will continue.

A screening of Roots of Compassion's new film, "Animal Liberation - History in the Making" followed the speech by Jake Conroy. The movie documents various attrocities committed for profit against animals and multiple direct action responses over the last two decades.

The film was a compilation of several shorter pieces. Some of the video itself was a little rough but it was entirely compelling. It features many of the actions and tactics of the campaign to Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty. It shows the story of Britches, a deliberately-blinded-with-sutures primate whose release was one of the Animal Liberation Front's (ALF) first actions in the early 1980s. There was a piece on Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's actions against driftnetters and whalers in the open seas. It touched on the connection between ALF and it's older sibling the ELF which fights for environmental protection. Fox hunt sabateurs in Surrey, Britain and the laws specifically passed in attempts to thwart the sabateurs were covered. German and Spanish liberation actions. ALF freeing countless beagles from a Huntingdon Life Sciences lab. Footage was shown of the ALF raid on the University of Iowa in November 2004 (http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/11/1706033.php, http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/06/1746698.php, http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/07/1754059.php, and http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/09/1765336.php). In all, the film includes coverage of the liberation of primates, whales, dolpins, minks, sables, beagles, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, and other commonly exploited animals.

East Bay Animal Advocates:
http://eastbayanimaladvocates.org/

Compassionate Cooks:
http://compassionatecooks.com

Roots of Compassion:
http://rootsofcompassion.org/

Fellowship of Humanity:
http://humanisthall.net


Recent SHAC7 trial feature on Indybay:
http://www.indybay.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=4008&category_id=58

One Struggle, One Fight: SHAC 7 and the Future of Dissent:
http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/06/1745487.php


Support the SHAC7!! The rights of all activists are at stake if the government wins.