W.A.R. - WIN ANIMAL RIGHTS
Our interview with Camille Hankins
By Claudette Vaughan The New York group WAR is at the forefront of the Animal Rights Movement in condemning and protesting against Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). They are about to launch a new offensive shortly. Watch this space!
 Abolitionist: HLS is the big one. Once it's brought to it's knees, other multi-nationals will follow suit. It's like Mt Everett. It took years to conquer but once it was, others effortlessly followed suit. The ALF has said, “It only ever finishes when HLS are finished”. What campaign has WAR launched against HLS?
Camille Hankins: Win Animals Rights or WAR was founded with the campaign to stop the killing and cruelty at Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) as its primary objective. At one time, we advocated for the closure of HLS, but in view of the recent convictions of the SHAC 6 here in the USA and the government crackdown, we have amended our goal. After all, who cares if HLS stays open as long as they aren't torturing and killing animals? Personally though, I wouldn't shed a tear if they went into bankruptcy, since they are morally and ethically bankrupt.
Since the day I heard the cries of that beagle puppy being repeatedly punched in the face by an HLS monster, I have known that I could not rest until those cries were silenced forever. Seeing and experiencing the video “The Truth” changed my life as I gave up a lucrative corporate career to work on the campaign full time. In October 2004, after two years of protesting at the home of HLS CEO Andrew Baker, Win Animal Rights was formed and declared WAR on Huntingdon Life Sciences. Since then we have participated in a number of effective, winning campaigns that have had a profoundly detrimental effect on HLS.
Abolitionist: SHAC6 activists have been charged with conspiracy to terrorise Huntingdon. The charges carries up to 3 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The second charge is to engage in interstate counts of interstate stalking. Each of these charges carries with it 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. SHAC6 have done nothing illegal by running their own website. Was the Bush Administration always gunning for SHAC America and if that's the case why indict now?
CH: The Bush administration is ruled by corporate interests and the worst and most corrupt cronyism the USA has ever experienced. You have only to look at the devastating loss of key environmental and conservation legislation, the opening of pristine wilderness to the earth rapists and animal murderers, to know that George Bush is taking care of his good buddies in corporate America .
Although HLS is a small and relatively unimportant player in the multi-billion dollar global pharmaceutical industrial complex, they are perceived to be the harbinger of what is coming. And it is definitely coming. More about that later though. The major pharmas, propped up by the governments of the US and the UK , appear to have rallied round to rescue the faltering HLS. Apparently they were not counting on the diehard persistence and tenacity of the global SHAC campaign. Another thing they did not count on is the business savvy and financial acumen of the campaigners who fight against HLS.
Since HLS can only continue to torture and kill animals if customers continue to sign contracts with them, we hold every employee of every HLS customer, accountable for the death and suffering. The hand that signs the contracts that causes animals to be killed is as stained with blood as the hand that wields the scalpel.
Abolitionist: Bush's Amerika is trying to say that above ground groups are culpable for actions that underground persons or groups do if it furthers the aims of the cause. How do you understand that Camille? Will any First Amendment free speech concerns override any other considerations and is what the American Administration trying to do illegal in any case?
CH: First Amendment free speech? What's that? Seriously, since the Patriot Act was pushed through Congress, in the middle of the night, our freedoms have slowly but surely eroded. Privacy is virtually non-existent as the US uses scare tactics, including naming the ALF and ELF as the most dangerous domestic terrorists threats in the country, to placate people into allowing their constitutional freedoms to disappear.
Most of the lawsuits and criminal charges being brought against above ground earth and animal activists today, include accusations of underground crimes and associations. Recently HLS filed a major lawsuit against WAR and some of its individual members and part of the charges falsely accused me of being the head of ALF. Can you imagine that? Just because I act as Press Officer for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, they have ridiculously decided that I run the ALF. I often joke around with journalists and ask them if they really think that a member of the ALF would walk around with business cards and doing press interviews?
The goal of the HLS lawsuit is to stop WAR from its lawful protests and educational activities because they are allegedly resulting in a major loss of profits by HLS. In court, we have been accused of harassing and intimidating pharma executives, of car bombings that happened in Europe and failed molotov cocktails in California and even beating the always whining Brian Cass, who we affectionately refer to as “Lumpy”. Their tactic is to convict us of guilt by association, very much like the SHAC 6.
What they fail to understand is that they may have the resources to fight expensive court battles, but ultimately we will find ways to work around restraining orders and orders of protection. Our campaign against Andrew Baker is a perfect example. After two years of police harassment and bullying and 3 arrests at Baker's multi-million dollar penthouse apartment, we decided to find other ways to influence him. After making sure that his local pet shop will not deliver to him and his limousine driver quit rather then drive him and all of his neighbors know him as “Puppy Killer”, we turned our full attention and energy on the stock brokers and big institutional investors who traded LSRI stock (LSRI is the stock market symbol for HLS).
One by one, we watched the market makers and the investors that HLS desperately relied on, divest their LSRI stock and cut their financial ties with the floundering HLS. We watched with satisfaction as they were thoroughly and completely humiliated, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, when they were told only minutes before their scheduled listing, that it was cancelled with no explanation. Within a year, we watched their stock price fall from a high of $18.30 to their current price, just above $9.00. As their share price fell, their debt skyrocketed and they are now $100 million in debt.
Abolitionist: SHAC 6 are all in prison now based solely on the claim that being an activist is tantamount to being a terrorist as moves are made to shut up all voices of dissent in the US today. What's behind this?
CH: The SHAC 7 (6 activists and SHAC USA , the corporation) have been sentenced. The individuals received prison sentences ranging from 6 years to 1 year, plus an additional time period of supervised probation. The impoverished activists were also ordered to make restitution of $1,000,001. These sentences were unbelievable in light of the fact that they weren't convicted of actually doing direct action, they were accused of reporting it and even more importantly, supporting it.
Clearly, the US government considers the voices of activists that operate on an ethic of compassion and concern for the suffering of animals, to be dangerous. And they are dangerous, but not in the way that the government portrays them. They are dangerous because they have found the model to cost heartless corporations countless millions in profits. They have found the key to successfully influence uncaring corporate moguls like Baker and Cass, who operate without conscience. SHAC found the way to hit them where it hurts, in their bank accounts.
It used to be ‘American' to speak your mind and to protest injustice. I live in a country ruled by a moron and his evil cabal of henchman that subscribe to the notion that if you do not agree with them, you are an enemy of the state. When the state sanctions killing, torture, illegal invasions, lying, pandering to corporate interests and stealing our freedoms in the middle of the night (like they did with the Patriot Act), then I am proud to say that, yes, I am an enemy of the state. I hope I don't get disappeared now!
Abolitionist: The Animal Enterprise Protection Act (now known as the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act) is being trotted out for the first time specifically for SHAC6. Will this give the right of way for government to go after any activist it deems as against big business? Isn't this what it really is all about regardless of the legality of the tactics?
CH: Absolutely, the FBI and federal prosecutors have made it abundantly clear that the SHAC case and Operation Backfire, which involved the indictment of several earth and animal activists is only the beginning. Obviously, they mean to bring all of the power and resources of the federal government into the fight to silence the animal liberation movement and to neutralize the underground freedom fighters.
Fortunately, earth and animal liberation groups are highly decentralized and work autonomously and anonymously. The idea that well know activists that do protests and interviews during the day, put on masks and liberate animals at night because they are secretly members of the ALF is absolutely preposterous.
The NAALPO Press Officers are regularly accused of belonging to the ALF. Truth be told, although it sucks to be targeted by the FBI and JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force), I would rather have them scrutinizing my activities and following me to peaceful legal protests, than focusing on the freedom fighters who work under cover of darkness. WAR is and will remain an unapologetic and vocal supporter of the Animal Liberation Front. Long may they liberate!
Abolitionist: While all the charges sound intimidating and Josh Harper himself said it was “really just a matter of time before they came after us”, SHAC6 have not actually been accused of having personally engaged in terrorist or threatening acts. A high burden of proof is required to convict yet at the opening trial the judge limited the defense capabilities so not to include in SHAC6's own computer expert or anti-vivisection expert yet the prosecution brought in their own experts to talk about the benefits of vivisection. Will a fair trial take place do you think?
CH: The federal prosecutors had years to prepare and almost limitless resources at their command. The SHAC activists were clearly disadvantaged. In the United States , sadly, those who are indigent frequently are falsely accused and convicted. If you can't afford an O.J. Simpson “Dream Team”, the odds are stacked against you. Couple that with the fact that the jury trial was held in New Jersey , the home state of more major pharma companies than any other state in the country and it's no wonder they were convicted. I suspect that most people involved in the prosecution, as well as most of the jury, had some ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Abolitionist: Can you talk about WAR's Operation Sinking Ship campaign please?
CH: Operation: Sinking Ship was launched on May 8, 2006 right after LSRI (HLS) fell off of the Pink Sheets and into the financial “dead zone” known as the Grey Market. After losing all of their market makers and investors, WAR joined the growing number of activist groups concentrating on reducing the financial support of HLS by corporate customers and suppliers.
The campaign couples a very aggressive educational outreach program, along with an extensive schedule of both office and home demos. The companies we focus on reads like a who's who list of drug companies: Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Dow, Merck as well as key suppliers like Phenomenex, UPS and PDP Couriers. One of our tactics is to compile lists of all of the public relations disasters, human rights violations and product liability litigation for each company and to publicise that information widely. This tactic seems to be very effective.
We know that, because the financially strapped HLS has spared no expense to pursue WAR legally. The suit is a perfect example of a SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation). In other words, all they are after is our silence and to stop the campaign in New York . Our answer to their lawsuit was posted on our website. “We will never back down until they stop the killing”.
Luckily, SLAPP suits are illegal and frowned upon in New York State . No doubt we will be filing a counter suit against HLS. In the court documentation, HLS claims that Operation: Sinking Ship could even cause Huntingdon Life Sciences to go out of business. In their own words, they tell us that 80% of their business comes from the major pharma companies and they further state: “Operation: Sinking Ship could have a substantial adverse effect upon HLS' business and cause it immeasurable and irreparable harm” and “. …if WAR is left to wager its campaign against these customers and prospective customers…..HLS will likely be deprived of a substantial portion of its entire customer base, and perhaps even forced out of business…”
Abolitionist: Any last thoughts?
CH: Government repression has historically been the price that successful social justice movements pay for effective tactics and strategies. What they haven't figured out yet is that by unjustly using government resources to harass and intimidate activists, they may just get a backlash. The more they throw at us, the harder we fight and the more our resolve stiffens.
The 'Green Scare' will undeniably chill free speech and activism in some, while others will turn to different and perhaps more aggressive ways of delivering their message. Government repression could very well be the state's worst nightmare, by acting as a catalyst for increased levels of direct action and illegal activities. When governments make lawful protests illegal, they force activists to become criminals. When well known above ground activists are convicted of crimes committed by the underground, we all might as well put on masks and join the ALF.
These challenging times call for great courage and tenacity. We must stand our ground. The SHAC Global campaign has a motto that WAR has adopted as well: “Words mean nothing. Action is everything.” Take action for animals in whatever way is comfortable for you. Our brothers and sisters of the animal kingdom are counting on us. The suffering animals imprisoned in the death camps like HLS, don't get time off for good behaviour or early parole. Theirs is a life sentence that only ends in death.
Better yet, forget what I said about doing whatever is comfortable. It is time to take action until it hurts!
|
