PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - New Jersey is using an anti-terrorism law for the first time to try six animal rights activists charged with harassing and vandalizing a company that made use of animals to test its drugs.

Prosecutors say the activists, who will stand trial next week, used threats, intimidation and cyber attacks against employees of Huntingdon Life Sciences, a British company with operations in East Millstone, New Jersey, with the intention of driving it out of business.

The six, members of a group called Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), are charged under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act, amended in 2002 to include "animal enterprise terrorism," which outlaws disrupting firms like Huntingdon.

If convicted, the group and its accused members face a maximum $250,000 fine and three years in prison.

SHAC argued that the charges are a violation of free-speech rights and it is the victim of a government crackdown on dissent. "This is a frightening step in the Bush administration's path to war on domestic dissidence," the group said on its Web site.

The defendants are also charged with interstate stalking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 fine, and with conspiracy to engage in interstate stalking, carrying the same penalty.

The list of potential defense witnesses includes actress Kim Basinger, who joined a protest outside a Huntingdon laboratory in Franklin, New Jersey to try to stop such companies using animals to test their pharmaceutical products.

Their tactics included invading offices, damaging property and stealing documents. They also charged with physical assault -- including spraying cleaning fluid into the eyes of employees -- smashing the windows of their homes and threatening to kill or injure members of their families, prosecutors said.

The group also targeted other companies that did business with Huntingdon. Those firms were swamped with telephone calls and e-mail blitzes intended to clog their computer systems, the indictment said.

Other alleged incidents include overturning a Huntingdon employee's car in the driveway of his New Jersey home and the destruction of putting greens at the Meadowbrook Golf Club in Long Island, New York, where some Huntington employees held memberships.

Those charges are Kevin Kjonaas, 27, president of SHAC; Lauren Gazzola, 26, the group's campaign coordinator; Jacob Conroy, 29; Joshua Harper, 30; Darius Fullmer, 28; and Andrew Stepanian, 26. They all deny the charges.

Opening arguments before Judge Mary Cooper of U.S. District Court in Trenton, New Jersey, are expected early next week. Jury selection began Wednesday.
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Yeah... threats as free speech, that is a good one. If they really did all that is listed, then they do deserve a punishment. Sure, they have their views but they need to keep it within the law. You don't see me out there threating people that I don't agree with.

Good, they were even going to the houses of these scientists are threatening them... It's important people should be allowed to protest against something, but not like how they did it.

Soon I hope we can move past Animal testing and go to simulations.


THE FUTURE IS SIMULATION - Scientists create digital bacteria to forge advances in biomedical research

June 04 2005
Source: http://medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=25599

To revisit a topic I have explored at Fight Aging!, the future of biomedical research - faster, cheaper, better, open to non-professionals - is in simulation. Why run all your experiments in the real world when you can run ten times as many at a fraction of the cost in a computer system? Not to mention that the curve in processing power costs means that you'll have twice the experimental capacity at the same price a few years down the line - and that many more organizations can contribute to advancing science. This article from Medical News Today looks at one of the forerunners of future simulational research software; healthy life extension advocates will begin to effectively organize their own research in the years ahead as the costs keep falling.

http://www.imminst.org/

Cybor attacking is a form of terrorism. Free speech does not include computer viruses. Also they damaged private property, trespassed, assaulted a person, hyjacked the phone system, stalked and threatened to kill family members of employees.

As a rational person that fights against animal cruelty I can say that actions like this make my work that much harder.

Thanks for clearing that up....I was beginning to think cyber attacks were hate emails

By the way, Whoa, I don't believe members of this forum are encouraged to promote destruction of property, physical assault and murder threats towards family members including young children.

I think everybody should be allowed to protest anything they deem worthy or speaking against, and certainly animal cruelty would fit the bill. I do however have a problem with protestors causing physical harm to those they are protesting against. In extreme circumstances it may be necessary to defend yourself against those you are protesting but you should never go out of your way hurt anybody when taking a stand against something.

I don't know if I agree with this being referred to as terrorism the classification seems a bit extreme to me, however some type of punishment should be in order for those involved. A community needs to ensure the safety of everybody in that community, physical harm and death threats should never be an acceptable form or protest.

These people have just gone way too far, they have stepped over the line and have lost all credibility. Their cause is a noble one, but the way they have tried to get it across is wrong not to mention illegal and makes it harder for people like girty who are really trying to make a difference, the legal, right way.

yet another example of extremism good thing I dont test on animals