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Welcome to the site for all things activist and vegan in and around Oxford - and sometimes further afield.

Brian Haw Back in Court

Brian is in the High Court at present, contesting with London Mayor and ex-Bullingdon Boy Boris that he and the Peace Village in Parliament Square are not trespassing - nuisance by just being there and making the place look untidy, possibly, but not trespassing. Of course, no-one has been charged from the original arrests just so the area could be made tidy for Parliament opening.

Why All the Excuses for Israel?

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla tragedy has provided too much information, too fast, for us to even contemplate putting anything on this page. Tragic that the Israeli government could even contemplate doing this, even more tragic that Tony Blair (ex St John's - please let them never invite him back) now seems to think that the blockade should be lifted - shame on him that he didn't act when in power, but meekly did the bidding of George W. And still does; his interview in the Independent simply reflects Obama's latest thinking - nothing new, just criticism of Hamas and how Israel must be treated fairly. When an elephant is stood on a mouse's tail, the mouse doesn't thank you for checking the elephant's ok

The 'Must Have' Counter For Animal Suffering

Get this counter for your website. Or just sit and watch this one with a non-vegan and ask them why.

Number of animals killed in the world by the meat, dairy and egg industries, since you opened this webpage. This does not include the billions of fish and other aquatic animals killed annually.

Based on 2007 statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' Global Livestock Production and Health Atlas.

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News

US starts to find its moral compass...

Earlier this week, unreported by the British media (dontcha just love election coverage, any excuse...), the US dropped 10 missiles from a drone in West Pakistan and killed at least 14 civilians.

Good news, if that's what you can call it, is that this managed to prompt a debate on breakfast tv in the US. See it here and believe it:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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BBC Gets Something Right - a good read...

Radio 4 Start the Week had an interview today with Jonathan Balcombe. You would never guess from the write-up on the BBC website that he is vegan as well as an animal behaviourist. Listen again at the main link, and visit Balcombe's site here.

For years Jonathan Balcombe has studied animal behaviour. Formerly a Senior Research Scientist with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, his latest book, Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, argues animals are no less sentient than human beings, from the signature whistle of a dolphin to the empathy of higher moral feelings such as altruism, grief, trust, optimism, forethought and empathy. We may be the more powerful predator but Jonathan argues it is time for us to stop feeling superior and adopt instead a more humble, less oppressive relationship with animals.

Jonathan is giving a talk at the British Library on Monday 29 March and his book, Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, is published by Palgrave Macmillan.

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Mel Broughton Conviction Overturned

Great news that Mel's conviction for possession of sparklers has been overturned. However, reflecting the way Animal Rights activists are treated in general, he remains in prison as they have ordered a retrial. The pharmaceutical companies and research communities spend millions each year on research involving animals, resulting in drugs that kill hundreds of people. Individual protestors such as Mel are villified by the establishment, have specific laws passed because of the perceived 'threat' (SOCA for example) and the greater harm to our lives is ignored. Also ignored is this news story, published below and first seen on Indymedia and (good grief, they managed to get something right, how long will it stay there) the BBC. So there will be a third trial for sparkler possession - must be some kind of record.

AN animal rights campaigner jailed for 10 years for plotting a fire bomb attack on Oxford University has had his conviction overturned.

Mel Broughton 48, of Semilong Road, Northampton, was jailed at Oxford Crown Court in February last year after he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson.

He appealed against his conviction earlier this year and, after taking more than a month to consider the verdict, Lord Justice Thomas returned to the Court of Appeal today to quash the conviction.

The judge, who heard the appeal with Mr Justice Kitchin and Sir Geoffrey Grigson, said an error in the way the trial judge summed up the evidence to the jury meant the conviction was "unsafe".

After an application by crown prosecutors, the judge ordered that Mr Broughton, who was not present in court, be retried on the allegation as soon as possible.

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