Animal Rights

Skanska files SLAPP suit seeking injunction against vivisection protests

In Portland, Oregon,two executives at Skanska have filed papers with the Washington County Courthouse in Hillsboro, OR seeking an injunction against 4 animal rights activsts and the "No New Animal Lab" campaign against Skanska's project to build a vivisection laboratory for the University of Washington. This injunction would not bind activists in DC, New York, or anywhere but in the jurisdiction in question and only from that one organization. No New Animal Lab has counterfiled a anti-SLAPP Special Motion to Strike against Skanska.

Video and Final reportback from #StormSkanska weekend of action

We have been campaigning against Skanska for over a year. On January 1, 2015, Richard Cavallaro took the position of CEO and President of Skanska USA, succeeding company veteran Michael McNally. The campaign to stop the Animal Research & Care Facility had recently been consolidated under the banner No New Animal Lab, and we made the point to inaugurate Richard with a simple letter, which urged him to cancel Skanska's contract with the University of Washington and all plans to build an underground torture chamber for animals. Unfortunately, we had no hope that Richard would be diverted from his profit-seeking motives, and so we began efforts to #StormSkanska.

Official #StormSkanska Swarm New York video, hosted on Vimeo

The Siege of Skanska escalates! Scaling ladder brought to the home of Skanska USA CEO Richard Cavallaro to hang banner from the roof leads to two rough arrests.

Two assaulted and arrested at NY protest at Skanska CEO's house over animal lab

On the 16th of January, the #StormSkanska protests against Skanska's vivisection lab construction contract at University of Washington visited the home of Richard Cavallaro, CEO of Skanska USA. Two of the protesters were assaulted and arrested by police, triggering a jail solidarity march on presumably the police station or jail where they are being held as this is written. Skanska USA is building an underground vivisection laboratory for University of Washington.

Vivisection protesters besiege Skanska's NY offices at Empire State Building

On the 15th of January, the #StormSkanska protests kicked off in NYC with an estimated 150 protesters outside their offices at the Empire State Building. Skanska is a huge multinational construction corporation which is building a high-security, underground vivisection laboratory for University of Washington. Activists are determined to prevent this torture facility from ever being finished no matter what it takes. The Jan 15 office demo is just the beginning of a furious weekend of action against Skanska at their New York City offices.

Sea Shepherd members, supporters protest Japan's renewed whale hunt

On the 30th of December, protesters showed up at the Japanese Embassy to call out Japan's return to illegal commerical whaling in the Southern Ocean. Many of them were from Sea Shepherd, the world's foremost counter-poaching navy. In defiance of rulings from the International Court of Justice, Japan's "Institute for Cetacean Research" (ICR) has once again sent their ships to the Southern Ocean to kill whales.Activists say the only "research" being done is into the taste of whale meat, and the International Court of Justice agree. The ICR is killing whales anyway, and in turn theiur poaching ships are being hunted by Sea Shepherd.

video of the protest-1 min 10 sec

Protesting at the Japanese embassy against renewed whaling

NPS boasts of killing 26 deer in Rock Creek Park

On the 14th of December, the National Park Service issued a press release claiming to have shot and killed 26 deer in Rock Creek Park in a one-night operation. That would have to have been Dec 7, when they shut down operations in the face of protesters setting up. Either they shot deer earlier in the evening to evade protests or they waited out protesters and post-protest patrols, then returned.

Protesters shut down night of deer killing in Rock Creek Park

On the 7th of December, the National Park Service and "Wildlife Services" attempted to launch a dastardly sneak attack on Rock Creek Park's deer, setting up to shoot them while Monday Night Football distracted the protesters. It didn't work. Activists patrolling the woods found NPS setting up at about 7PM and announced plans for a 10PM protest. By 9:30PM closed roads had been reopened and it appeared the deer shoot had been cancelled for the night. Protesters set up anyway, standing alert against them trying to set back up.

Video of the protest

Protesters shut down deer killing for a night

Police attack on fur protest triggered by false report of window smashing

On Black Friday, the 27th of November, the in-store protest at Miller's Furs ended in a police attack on the protesters. Two were handcuffed and two more were detained. Three escaped the scene entirely, as police arrived well after protesters had exited the store and as they were leaving the entire area. A total of 12 police cars showed up with sirens screaming. During the detainment, one of the cops mentioned having received a report that protesters were smashing windows at the store. None were broken or even hit in reality. If this report came from Manny Miller, he is guilty of filing a false police report.

Direct Action Everywhere protests inside Whole Foods over fake "cruelty free" turkeys

On the evening of Black Friday, November 27, Direct Action Everywhere protested inside the Tenleytown Whole Foods. They were protesting fake "cruelty free" turkeys being sold sometimes at triple digit prices to Whole Foods customers. Days earlier, Whole Foods released this video comparing the single "Potemkin Village" turkey farm Whole Foods uses to promote their "cruelty free" turkeys to the farms the birds actually come from.

Video of the protest inside Tenleytown Whole Foods

Protesters inside the Tenleytown Whole Foods-screenshot of unprotected thumbnail of video posted to Facebook

Disrupting Whole Foods over fake cruelty-free turkeys

Fur protesters march through Neiman-Marcus, Miller's Furs

The 27th of November was Black Friday, known to animal rights activists as Fur Free Friday. This year, activists managed to march through both Neiman-Marcus in DC and Miller's Furs a little over a mile north of DC in Maryland. At Miller's Furs things got a bit rough, first with the store owner freaking out, then police cars with sirens screaming roaring up to activists as they were leaving the area. Although the protesters were detained none were arrested. At least one person escaped the cops outright.

Video of protesters marching through Neiman-Marcus,Miller's Furs

Inside "Neiman-Carcass"

Black Friday fur protests inside Neiman-Carcass, Miller's Furs

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