The idea
I would like to see animal rights activists treated in the same way as the rest of society. There are 3 prisoners who pleaded guilty to harrassment who are currently serving 12 years for conducting a 3 year harrassment campaign. A previous tory parliamentary candidate (Ian Oakley) also conducted a very similar harrassment campaign over a similar period of time against a prospective lib dem candidate. He was given 16 weeks suspended. The discrepancy in these punishments for very similar crimes with very different motives is very disturbing in a democratic society.
There are other animal rights prisoners who have been found guilty of "conspiracy to blackmail" serving 11 and 9 years. They were responsible for running a (legal) campaign to protest against a major vivisection laboratory. This kind of sentencing is on a par with those given to murderers and rapists. It is outrageous that in this day and age sentecing is so out of touch with the action to which it is related.
I would also like to see the repeal of sections 145 – 149 of the SOCPA act.
Why is it important?
People protesting against animal abuse should have the same rights as other protesters. To single their cause out by making it a crime to try to persuade a company from having a contract with a vivisection organization is against their human rights . If crimes are committed in the name of animal rights they should be dealt with by other existing laws and be punishable in the same way as other similar crimes.
Animal rights protesters are by and large people who have strong moral feelings against animal abuse – they are not terrorists and should not be treated as such.