Six Animal Rights Advocates Are Convicted of Terrorism

NY Times ^ | March 3, 2006 | DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI

[neverdem]

An animal rights group and six of its members were convicted of terrorism and Internet stalking yesterday by a federal jury that found them guilty of using their Web site to incite attacks on those who did business with or worked for a British company that runs an animal testing laboratory in New Jersey.

The case was the first test of the Animal Enterprise Terror Act, enacted in 1992 to curb the most aggressive tactics used by activists. The verdict, which came after 14 hours of deliberation, was called an insidious threat to free speech by some activists, but was cheered by research scientists, some of whom are lobbying Congress to tighten restrictions on protesters.

During the three-week trial, defense lawyers acknowledged that a Web site run by Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty posted home addresses and other personal information about animal researchers and others. But the activists said they were simply trying to shame their targets into dissociating themselves from the company, Huntingdon Life Sciences, and they disavowed any involvement with the vandalism, death threats, computer hacking and pipe bombs against those on the Web site.

Although federal prosecutors presented no evidence that the defendants directly participated in the vandalism and violence, they showed jurors that members of the group made speeches and Web postings from 2000 to 2004 that celebrated the violence and repeatedly used the word "we" to claim credit for it.

Prosecutors also produced telephone records indicating that the president of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, Kevin Kjonaas, called a man charged with bombing a California biotech lab shortly after the explosion.

Jurors were also shown a videotape of the group's director, Lauren Gazzola, at a protest in Boston, making reference to the previous acts of violence and warning a target, "The police can't protect you!"

The defendants...

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[PGalt]

Great news. Thanks for the ping.

[Criminal Number 18F]

Tree hugging earth goddess worshiping criminals

Er, have a care there. Soome of us criminals are sensitive and don't want to be associated with these patchouli-scented vicious hippies.

the president of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, Kevin Kjonaas, called a man charged with bombing a California biotech lab shortly after the explosion.

Sheer coincidence your honor. The man was my client's mother. Er... wait... well, yeah, it was California.

The defendants showed little emotion as the jury foreman announced that they had been found guilty on all counts, but after jurors left the room, Ms. Gazzola wept and Mr. Kjonaas turned to the 20 supporters in the courtroom and offered a wan smile and a shrug.

"Well since my sanity left me,
I found a new place to dwell.
All alone in rooms of stone
In Crowbar Motel...
(with apologies to Elvis)

They also note that Kjonaas's replacement as president of this lashup used to be the voice of "Lucy" on the Peanuts TV specials. Ah, yes, those Hollywood values again.

For the Times it's really a bad story. They don't even give the names of the other defendants! They do say they're probably going to get a seven year time-out, though.

I'm sure the animals are grateful for that -- not to mention all the humans whose lives and health depend upon animal research. Which would be all of us.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[mylife]

I'll never understand the folks that think the "mud bellied wallamalloo's" habitat is more important than the habitat of Mr and Mrs Jones

These raving nuts place animal above human.

and would kill fellow men to make it so

[Criminal Number 18F]

Apparently the Ferdin person was not a defendant, but a defense witness. Her testimony backfired when she wouldn't say it was wrong to break people's windows out or threaten the lives of their children.

One of the most bizarre things is that the child that these goons thought needed killing had no direct connection to the researchers. The MOTHER of the five year old worked for the INSURANCE UNDERWRITER that wrote coverage on the laboratory. Walk THAT cat back and tell me it makes any sense.

Now, the whole Pam Ferdin thing... she has a website, and on it she says that she and her husband will not bring children into the world, as long as animals suffer. Let us swear to torture an adorable bunny a week until she hits menopause (which has to be right around the corner, fortunately for the bunnies), just to make her keep that vow.

http://www.pamferdin.com/

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Criminal Number 18F]

Correction, that website is a fan website (who knew, the Voice of Lucy has fans?) and the official website is here.

http://www.pamelynferdin.com/home.html

I has no comment on the convictions, but does link to the terrorist group, SHAC. Go to the website and you will get a heart-warming message from the terrorists themselves:

http://www.shacamerica.net/

"We apologize, but this site has been shut down for legal reasons."

This page is entitled: "Inside the mimd of Pamelyn Ferdin," and contains a couple of fairly innocuous (ghost-written?) animal rights rants.

http://www.pamelynferdin.com/essays/essays_body.html

Other animal rights loonies (terrorist sympathizers; maybe potential terrorists?) she links to are:

http://www.StopTheKilling.net
http://www.adoptmenow.com
http://www.veganoutreach.org
http://www.pcrm.org
http://www.animaldefense.com

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Send them to live with the Bears in Alaska!

Kind of like "Grizzly Man", now known as "Grizzly pile". If the Bear could talk, they would say; "Send more animal rights activists! They taste like Chicken!"

[proud_yank]

ping