Posted by Negotiation Is Over on April 19, 2014
by Camille A. Marino
Disturbingly, my colleague in Rome reports this morning that “vivisection in Italy has increased radically despite that tens of thousands of people rallied in the streets last year.” And I remain among the activists in the states who continue to admire campaigns by the Italians in recent years that galvanized the public and, simultaneously, rattled the foundations of the global vivisection complex.
Upon analyzing history as it unfolds, however, this state of affairs seems to confirm my belief that this is not about changing hearts and minds. Vivisection is a business. It is about pushing it into the liability column and making it detrimental to continue… by any means we have at our disposal.
Irrespective of our ideology and tactics, every single time a campaign starts gaining momentum on either side of the pond, the vivisection complex begins jailing activists to scare others away and they rewrite laws to shield themselves from exposure. It’s no secret that I have been in the eye of the storm in this country for precisely these reasons. After having the laws in this state rewritten twice so far to protect the University of Florida vivisectors’ interests and after having endured a 2-year campaign of police harassment and intimidation, repeated arrests, extraditions, raids on my home, and months in jail, I remain unapologetic and unrepentant. But my situation, unfortunately, has had their desired effect of scaring some activists out of Gainesville and into being silent. And, along with 20+ other activists in this state, I’m even named in a civil suit from Worldwide Primates in south Florida that is designed to silence Smash HLS. Fortunately, we all believe that this suit will ultimately be resolved to our benefit. But we’ve just watched as the brilliant SHAC activist, Debbie Vincent, received 6 years on Tuesday, for her exemplary and strategic efforts to stop mass murderers Huntingdon Life Sciences. The remaining Blackmail 3 have yet to be tried.
But these are also the tools that the enemy uses to turn us against one another, thus, pacifying our movement ourselves. To be clear, the animals do not need us to stand at the feet of the vivisectors begging for crumbs. They do not need us to applaud the enemy for benevolently releasing one of their victims from time to time while they engage in the lucrative business of wholesale murder and torture. They need us to rip their cages open and liberate them! They need us to stand on the frontlines and make certain that animal-murdering scum understand unequivocally that they have forfeited their right to enjoy any semblance of peace and anonymity while blood is dripping from their fingers.
And, yes, laws have been rewritten in this state because NIO is the first group of activists to come along and use them effectively — to expose the criminals and their crimes. And I make no apologies for doing so. But while vivisectors and welfarists alike continue to condemn my methods, I suspect the animals would approve. And, fortunately, they are the only individuals who’s interests concern me.
Nor do I make any apologies for risking a mandatory 5 years in prison every single time I alone had to violate my probation to keep the fight to Free the UF Monkeys in the headlines. I have never wavered on my own commitment, while many around me, unfortunately, fled.
Some in our community have sided with the visectors who murder animals. They have spoken and need to live with the shame. The rest of us need to re-double our efforts to stand united and strong for the monkeys.
We are their voice. And they are all that matters. Until the animals are free…