SPEAK (animals)
Encyclopedia
SPEAK, the Voice for the Animals is a British animal rights
campaign founded in 2003 that aims to end animal experimentation
in the UK. It has to date fought against two projects. The first was a proposed non-human primate research facility at the University of Cambridge
, which was abandoned in 2004, in part because of the protests. Its current campaign is focused on a new animal testing centre at the University of Oxford
, the Biomedical Sciences Building, which SPEAK has opposed since it was first publicly proposed in 2004. The centre was officially opened on November 11, 2008 and was designed to house a variety of animals, mainly rodents, fish and ferrets, and will include non-human primates.
After this announcement, the coalition of activists involved in SPEAC learned that the University of Oxford was planning to build a new biomedical research facility to house research animals. In response, the activists announced the formation of "SPEAK, the Voice for the Animals," declaring that their campaign against Oxford would be the second stage in their efforts to end all animal testing in the UK. The activists said that talks between Oxford and Cambridge resulted in Oxford agreeing to conduct some of the brain experiments that were lost at Cambridge.
, who has served time in prison for possession of incendiary devices with intent to bomb Huntingdon Life Sciences
, Europe's largest contract animal-testing laboratory, in connection with the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
campaign. Other activists who have been named publicly are Robin Webb
, who runs the Animal Liberation Press Office
, and Amanda King, who was involved in the Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs
campaign.
Group, withdrew after its shareholders received threatening letters. Oxford continued the project amid tightened security with a new unnamed contractor.
(ALF). Robert Cogswell, co-founder of SPEAK, has said the campaign neither condones nor condemns the actions of the ALF.
Incidents have included an arson
attack on Hertford College
boathouse; an attack on Corpus Christi College
sports pavilion (which was, apparently, confused with Christ Church
property); sending threatening letters to building firms connected with the construction project, the vandalism of other firms connected with the university, and threatening violence against Oxford University staff and students.
In December 2007, SPEAK spokesman Mel Broughton was charged with conspiracy to blackmail, two counts of possessing an explosive substance, and two counts of having an article with intent to damage, in connection with arson attempts at Oxford's Queen's College
and Templeton College. At his 2008 trial he was cleared of possessing an explosive substance with intent, but the court was unable to reach a decision on the other charges. In 2009 he was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson and sentenced to 10 years by Oxford Crown Court. After Broughton's conviction it was reported that police had an infiltrated the ALF. According to The Times, the documents obtained by the infiltrator showed the "ALF drew funding from - and often had the same leaders as - ostensibly peaceful groups such as Shac
and Speak, an animal rights body in Oxford led by Broughton."
SPEAK say that, in the course of their legal protests and demonstrations, their members have suffered assault
s and intimidation from police in collusion with the university. In September 2004, Mel Broughton's mother suffered minor injuries during a protest at the construction site, when an unidentified substance was thrown at her, allegedly by one of the construction workers. According to Thames Valley Police
, a January 14, 2006 SPEAK protest resulted in around 350 protesters tearing down fences and throwing missiles at police officers. SPEAK, in response, accused the police of a "sustained and brutal attack" on protesters, including "women, children, the elderly and infirm."
against a number of individuals and groups, including Broughton and SPEAK, which restricts them from approaching within 50 yards of the construction site and the homes of those connected with the construction, and from holding protests of greater than 50 people in Oxford without police support. The injunction followed mounting complaints from students, researchers and workers about the hours-long use of sirens and megaphones by SPEAK on an almost daily basis. In 2006, Oxford appealed to the High Court
to extend the injunction after "clear threats" were made against the university by the ALF. The court ordered that the injunction be widened to extend the exclusion zone, ban the use of megaphone
s and afford greater protection to individuals supplying goods or service to the university. A request by Oxford to further restrict the number of protesters to 12 was denied.
In October 2006, after allegations were made on the SPEAK website, Oxford University won a further injunction, prohibiting SPEAK from publishing allegations about the identity of contractors.
The Sunday Times reported on June 18, 2006 that members of SPEAK have been awarded legal aid
to finance a challenge to the injunction preventing protesters from photographing staff, students, and contractors at work or at their homes, and that places restrictions on the size and duration of demonstrations. The newspaper has named Mel Broughton, Robin Webb
, and Amanda King as three of the activists who have received the funding. Since being granted legal aid, King was successful in having her name removed from the injunction, but Webb was not. He had argued that the injunction would curb his freedom of speech as a journalist, and that he was not a member of any animal rights group. According to The Guardian, in his ruling the judge described Webb as a "propagandist" and a "pivotal figure [in the ALF]".
, chairman of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). The quote stated that: "The animal testing regime ... is utterly futile." NICE objected that the statement was quoted out of context and was therefore misleading. In June 2006, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the complaint by NICE and ruled that the use of the quote was in breach of ASA guidelines.
The ASA noted that Rawlins' quote referred to the use of animal testing in "long-term carcinogenicity studies with known genotoxic compounds or compounds that produced hyperplasia in chronic toxicity tests only," and did not imply that he was against all animal testing.
was formed by Laurie Pycroft, then a 16-year-old, with the aim of countering SPEAK and defending the use of animals in biomedical research. Both groups called demonstrations in Oxford on February 25, 2006, resulting in about 700 Pro-Test supporters opposed by 200-300 from SPEAK.
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
campaign founded in 2003 that aims to end animal experimentation
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
in the UK. It has to date fought against two projects. The first was a proposed non-human primate research facility at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, which was abandoned in 2004, in part because of the protests. Its current campaign is focused on a new animal testing centre at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, the Biomedical Sciences Building, which SPEAK has opposed since it was first publicly proposed in 2004. The centre was officially opened on November 11, 2008 and was designed to house a variety of animals, mainly rodents, fish and ferrets, and will include non-human primates.
History
The campaign was born out of Stop Primate Experimentation at Cambridge (SPEAC), which in 2004 halted the construction at the University of Cambridge of a new primate research facility. Had it gone ahead, the facility would have been Europe's largest primate testing centre. Cambridge announced in January 2004 that the facility would not be built as a result of delays caused in part by animal rights protesters.After this announcement, the coalition of activists involved in SPEAC learned that the University of Oxford was planning to build a new biomedical research facility to house research animals. In response, the activists announced the formation of "SPEAK, the Voice for the Animals," declaring that their campaign against Oxford would be the second stage in their efforts to end all animal testing in the UK. The activists said that talks between Oxford and Cambridge resulted in Oxford agreeing to conduct some of the brain experiments that were lost at Cambridge.
Activists
The spokesman for SPEAK in Oxford is Mel BroughtonMel Broughton
Mel Broughton is a British landscape gardener who has risen to public prominence as one of the UK's most notable animal rights advocates...
, who has served time in prison for possession of incendiary devices with intent to bomb Huntingdon Life Sciences
Huntingdon Life Sciences
Huntingdon Life Sciences is a contract animal-testing company founded in 1952 in England, with facilities in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire; Eye, Suffolk; New Jersey in the U.S., and Japan...
, Europe's largest contract animal-testing laboratory, in connection with the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty is an international animal rights campaign to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences , Europe's largest contract animal-testing laboratory. HLS tests medical and non-medical substances on around 75,000 animals every year, from rats to primates...
campaign. Other activists who have been named publicly are Robin Webb
Robin Webb
Robin Webb is an English animal rights activist. He is a former member of the ruling council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , and former director of Animal Aid...
, who runs the Animal Liberation Press Office
Animal Liberation Press Office
Animal Liberation Press Offices relay anonymous communiques, photos and videos to the media about direct action undertaken by the Animal Liberation Front , Animal Rights Militia , Animal Liberation Brigade, Justice Department, and other leaderless resistance within the animal liberation movement...
, and Amanda King, who was involved in the Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs
Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs
Save the Newchurch Guinea Pigs was a six-year campaign by British animal rights activists to close a farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire that bred guinea pigs for animal research...
campaign.
Withdrawal of contractor
In July 2004, the university's principal contractor, Walter Lilly, a subsidiary of the MontpellierMontpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
Group, withdrew after its shareholders received threatening letters. Oxford continued the project amid tightened security with a new unnamed contractor.
Allegations of violence
Although SPEAK only sanctions legal avenues of protest, the campaign has been accompanied by acts of intimidation, incitement, and violence, usually claimed by the Animal Liberation FrontAnimal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
(ALF). Robert Cogswell, co-founder of SPEAK, has said the campaign neither condones nor condemns the actions of the ALF.
Incidents have included an arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attack on Hertford College
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is located in Catte Street, directly opposite the main entrance of the original Bodleian Library. As of 2006, the college had a financial endowment of £52m. There are 612 students , plus various visiting...
boathouse; an attack on Corpus Christi College
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
sports pavilion (which was, apparently, confused with Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
property); sending threatening letters to building firms connected with the construction project, the vandalism of other firms connected with the university, and threatening violence against Oxford University staff and students.
In December 2007, SPEAK spokesman Mel Broughton was charged with conspiracy to blackmail, two counts of possessing an explosive substance, and two counts of having an article with intent to damage, in connection with arson attempts at Oxford's Queen's College
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
and Templeton College. At his 2008 trial he was cleared of possessing an explosive substance with intent, but the court was unable to reach a decision on the other charges. In 2009 he was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson and sentenced to 10 years by Oxford Crown Court. After Broughton's conviction it was reported that police had an infiltrated the ALF. According to The Times, the documents obtained by the infiltrator showed the "ALF drew funding from - and often had the same leaders as - ostensibly peaceful groups such as Shac
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty is an international animal rights campaign to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences , Europe's largest contract animal-testing laboratory. HLS tests medical and non-medical substances on around 75,000 animals every year, from rats to primates...
and Speak, an animal rights body in Oxford led by Broughton."
SPEAK say that, in the course of their legal protests and demonstrations, their members have suffered assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
s and intimidation from police in collusion with the university. In September 2004, Mel Broughton's mother suffered minor injuries during a protest at the construction site, when an unidentified substance was thrown at her, allegedly by one of the construction workers. According to Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
, a January 14, 2006 SPEAK protest resulted in around 350 protesters tearing down fences and throwing missiles at police officers. SPEAK, in response, accused the police of a "sustained and brutal attack" on protesters, including "women, children, the elderly and infirm."
Injunctions
In November 2004 the university obtained an injunctionInjunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against a number of individuals and groups, including Broughton and SPEAK, which restricts them from approaching within 50 yards of the construction site and the homes of those connected with the construction, and from holding protests of greater than 50 people in Oxford without police support. The injunction followed mounting complaints from students, researchers and workers about the hours-long use of sirens and megaphones by SPEAK on an almost daily basis. In 2006, Oxford appealed to the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
to extend the injunction after "clear threats" were made against the university by the ALF. The court ordered that the injunction be widened to extend the exclusion zone, ban the use of megaphone
Megaphone
A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
s and afford greater protection to individuals supplying goods or service to the university. A request by Oxford to further restrict the number of protesters to 12 was denied.
In October 2006, after allegations were made on the SPEAK website, Oxford University won a further injunction, prohibiting SPEAK from publishing allegations about the identity of contractors.
The Sunday Times reported on June 18, 2006 that members of SPEAK have been awarded legal aid
Legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
to finance a challenge to the injunction preventing protesters from photographing staff, students, and contractors at work or at their homes, and that places restrictions on the size and duration of demonstrations. The newspaper has named Mel Broughton, Robin Webb
Robin Webb
Robin Webb is an English animal rights activist. He is a former member of the ruling council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , and former director of Animal Aid...
, and Amanda King as three of the activists who have received the funding. Since being granted legal aid, King was successful in having her name removed from the injunction, but Webb was not. He had argued that the injunction would curb his freedom of speech as a journalist, and that he was not a member of any animal rights group. According to The Guardian, in his ruling the judge described Webb as a "propagandist" and a "pivotal figure [in the ALF]".
Advertising Standards Authority ruling
A brochure produced by SPEAK included a quote from Professor Sir Michael RawlinsMichael Rawlins
Sir Michael Rawlins is the chairman of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence .- Education :Rawlins obtained his undergraduate medical degree at St Thomas' Hospital, graduating in 1965...
, chairman of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). The quote stated that: "The animal testing regime ... is utterly futile." NICE objected that the statement was quoted out of context and was therefore misleading. In June 2006, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the complaint by NICE and ruled that the use of the quote was in breach of ASA guidelines.
The ASA noted that Rawlins' quote referred to the use of animal testing in "long-term carcinogenicity studies with known genotoxic compounds or compounds that produced hyperplasia in chronic toxicity tests only," and did not imply that he was against all animal testing.
Pro-Test
In January 2006, a student group called Pro-TestPro-Test
Pro-Test is a British group that promotes and supports animal testing in medical research. It was founded on January 29, 2006 to counter SPEAK, an animal-rights campaign opposing the construction by Oxford University of a biomedical and animal-research facility, which SPEAK believes may include a...
was formed by Laurie Pycroft, then a 16-year-old, with the aim of countering SPEAK and defending the use of animals in biomedical research. Both groups called demonstrations in Oxford on February 25, 2006, resulting in about 700 Pro-Test supporters opposed by 200-300 from SPEAK.
Further reading
- SPEAK campaign website
- Pro-Test website
- government regulations on animal research.
- The Animal Procedures Committee, a government advisory group.
- "Cambridge University", a summary of BUAV's report on Cambridge University.
- British Home Office response to the BUAV investigation (pdf), February 11, 2003
- The New Animal Research Facility, Oxford University
- "Inside an Animal Lab", The Times Online, April 2006
- Saville, Sandra. "Lab monkeys 'scream with fear' in tests", The Guardian, February 8, 2005
- RDS Online, in defence of biomedical research, with Myths FAQ