Protesters marching down Riverside Road towards the High Street
Huntingdon town centre shut for animal rights protest march
Saturday, November 5, 2011
3:33 PM
OVER 100 animal rights protesters brought Huntingdon to a standstill this afternoon (Saturday) with a march through the town centre to Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) in Alconbury.
OVER 100 animal rights protesters brought Huntingdon to a standstill this afternoon (Saturday) with a march through the town centre to Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) in Alconbury.
Activists from Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) had travelled from Italy, Sweden, Ireland and Holland to join UK campaigners in a protest against the largest animal testing laboratory in Europe.
Initial police estimates suggest only 120 of the expected 300 turned up to what was a largely peaceful protest.
The march began at Riverside car park, where protesters congregated amidst thirty police officers, police evidence gatherers, traffic cops and a police helicopter which circled overhead.
Speeches were given by march organisers, Debbie Vincent and Brendan McNally, and protesters donned fake-blood coats, drums and placards before setting off along Riverside Road towards the High Street at 1.15pm to chants of “Close down HLS.”
Protester, Andrea Steinke, from London, told The Hunts Post: “We’re here to bring attention to the despicable things that go on at HLS and also remember Barry Horne, the animal rights activist who died in prison 10 years ago after going on hunger strike.”
Police closed Huntingdon ring-road to allow protesters to cross onto the High Street, before heading into St Germain Street towards the Town Park.
The road closure was met with mixed reaction by shoppers.
Shopper Lisa Goodwin, of Ashton Gardens, Huntingdon, said: “I wouldn’t have known about this march without reading The Hunts Post, and I totally agree with it.
“What goes on at HLS should be exposed, people should know about it and closing the road for a short time is a small price to pay.”
But Lesley Green, 54, of Primrose Lane, who was cycling through the town, disagreed.
“It’s disgusting that roads have to be closed – it lets them think they’ve won,” she said.
“It’s also a disgrace that so many police are brought in – it’s a waste of money that could be spent on other things – especially when funds are so tight at the moment.”
Shops in the town centre said they hadn’t experienced a reduction in footfall due to the march, but market traders said their trade had been affected.
A spokesman for Stringers Florists of Boston, who has a stall on Market Hill, said: “We’ve noticed it’s been really slow today for a Saturday, the march seems to have had an effect.”
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5 comments
Many members of my family have had cancer and I have spent lots of time on cancer wards, sadly I have watched people die from Chemotherapy after terrible side effects, after all they are drugs that are researched on animals so how can we expect reliability? I would love to know the true statistics of how many people die per year of side effects of medicine, I know it is high but guess we will never know the true figures as it would cause uproar. We need reliable medicine not medicine that is tested on animals who have totally different systems and illnesses than us. Cost seems to be the issue here!
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Rita Joannu
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Only 100 people at the march, less than a third of the number SHAC claimed would attend, and almost all of them outside the area. SHAC are clearly a spent force, even a couple of years ago when they were already well past their peak this turnout would have been disappointing. Well done to Brian Cass and all the staff at HLS for standing up to the harassment, violence, intimidation and blackmail from SHACALF, be assured that there are many of us who value the work you do every day to help the development of new medicines. For some information on the vital contribution that animal research makes to medical progress see http:www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk and http:speakingofresearch.comcategorynewsscience-news
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Standupforcience
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I would also urge you to take a moment to look at http:www.buav.org and look at the undercover investigations to see for yourself some of the horror that goes on in animal testing in the name of profit only. I hope you can see that ending animal testing would benefit all human kind. Kind regards Concerned citizen. http:free--creditscore.com
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Donald Harper
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Just because something is legal does not make it right, slavery used to be legal! You obviously are unaware of the many other ways products can be tested without the need to use defenceless animals that not only have no choice but testing on a totally different species has never led to a discovery of anything significant. Animal testing stands in the way of spending government money on true research that could find cures for illnesses that may affect you or someone you love. I suggest you look at http:www.drhadwentrust.org for information on scientific research that has already been developed without the use of any animals. I would also urge you to take a moment to look at http:www.buav.org and look at the undercover investigations to see for yourself some of the horror that goes on in animal testing in the name of profit only. I hope you can see that ending animal testing would benefit all human kind. Kind regards Concerned citizen.
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bev42ministry
Monday, November 7, 2011
“What goes on at HLS should be exposed, people should know about it and closing the road for a short time is a small price to pay.” What a stupid comment - everything done at HLS is legal and above board. Would people prefer to be using medicines, chemicals etc that had not been tested and let us be the guinea pigs???
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ghostdog
Monday, November 7, 2011