{"id":1665,"date":"2012-10-25T18:05:58","date_gmt":"2012-10-26T02:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/?p=1665"},"modified":"2012-11-25T18:12:18","modified_gmt":"2012-11-26T02:12:18","slug":"researchers-told-to-prepare-for-alf-break-in-by-making-animals-presentable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/2012\/10\/25\/researchers-told-to-prepare-for-alf-break-in-by-making-animals-presentable\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers Told to Prepare for ALF Break-in By Making Animals “Presentable”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Animal Liberation FrontLine
\nWashington University claiming incriminating memo obtained by newspaper is a \u201choax\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Wednesday morning, the Riverfront Times in St Louis posted excerpts from a memo<\/a> purportedly distributed to faculty at Washington University\u2019s medical school. The memo warned staff to \u201cbe on high alert for potential terrorist activity\u201d during the time of this weekend\u2019s \u201cFree The Animals Conference<\/a>\u201d in St Louis.<\/p>\n

The memo is incredibly incriminating, not just for its \u201ceco-terrorism\u201d scare-mongering, but even more so because of the following excerpt which advises researchers on taking steps to prevent intruders from obtaining footage of animals:<\/p>\n

\u201c[campus police advise] every precaution should be taken to make your animals \u2018presentable.\u2019 This should include replacing bandages often, ensuring animals have adequate food and water, and employing heavy security where there are animals in a post-op stage or animals with visible evidence of surgery or implants. Take extra steps to maintain all Animal Welfare Act standards.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is among the more incriminating quotes I can ever remember coming out of a lab.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s one curveball: Washington University is saying they didn\u2019t write it.<\/p>\n

Hoax, or damage control?<\/strong><\/p>\n

About 12 hours after the original post on the Riverfront Times website, a revised version of the article was posted with this headline: \u201cWash. U. Med School Says Memo Warning of \u201cEco-Terrorism\u201d is a Hoax<\/em>\u201c.<\/p>\n

Of course they did.<\/p>\n

View the before and after shots of the altered article:<\/p>\n

Screenshot of original article.<\/a><\/p>\n

Revised article calling memo a \u201choax\u201d.<\/a><\/p>\n

The basis for the hoax claim is a single quote from a Washington University spokesperson:<\/p>\n

\u201cWashington University Protective Services did not send this memo to the medical center.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So what\u2019s the truth?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without a copy of the actual memo (the Riverfront Times only included an illegible, thumbnail-sized photo), knowing the source (the paper didn\u2019t identify theirs), or corroborating testimony from another recipient of the memo, getting to the truth might be impossible.<\/p>\n

What is very simple is seeing the obvious: When caught tacitly admitting their labs are a horror show that must be made \u201cpresentable\u201d, the university had every incentive to lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cEco-terrorism\u201d scare-mongering<\/strong><\/p>\n

The focus of the memo is to warn faculty and students of possible \u201cbreak-ins, arson and animal kidnappings\u201d (seriously) during the weekend of the Free the Animals Conference. And it does so in the most naive and excitable way possible.<\/p>\n

We only have a few quotes (the photo indicates the memo is much longer), but here are excerpts we have:<\/p>\n