Animal Rights Tactics and Targets

Current and recent targets

The current and recent main targets of animal rights extremism, and the groups campaigning against them, are:

From September 1999 to January 2006 - Darley Oaks Farm - SNGP
From November 1999 - Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) - SHAC
From February 2004 - University of Oxford - SPEAK

Targeting individuals

Over the last five years, the campaigning against these targets has shifted from mass demonstrations to more covert activities. The extremist strategy is now to force organisations to close down by targeting individuals. Thus the employees of the contract research company HLS and anyone associated with them are potential targets. Concerted campaigns of intimidation, abuse and criminal damage are directed at workers and directors, but also at secondary and tertiary targets including suppliers, customers, shareholders and friends. These campaigns are loosely co-ordinated by an extremist collective called the Animal Rights Coalition.

These tactics came to prominence in 2001 when the extremists caused severe financial difficulties for HLS by targeting shareholders, banks and other financial backers. Concerted efforts by the company, support from the government, and tightening of laws against extremism meant that HLS survived and its business is now thriving, but the tactics have continued against HLS and other targets.

The guinea pig breeding business at Darley Oaks Farm was forced into closure in January 2006 by similar tactics, having suffered six years of intimidation. A whole community had been traumatised. These extremists then joined the campaign against Oxford University.

Academic targets

Similar campaigns have been mounted against academic institutions. The University of Cambridge sought planning permission for a new Primate Research Centre and this became the focus of extremist campaigning with the formation of the group SPEAC in 2003. The Secretary of State granted planning permission early in 2004, following an appeal by the University. However, the University decided that the costs of building the Centre had escalated to the point where it was no longer a viable project.

Following this decision, which the animal rights extremists trumpeted as a success, it was clear that the University of Oxford, already building a new animal research centre, would become the new target. SPEAC became SPEAK in early 2004, focussed exclusively on Oxford and anyone associated with its building project.

In the summer of 2004 the main building contractor pulled out of its contract with the University after extremist attacks. Building work resumed in December 2005.

Complied by RDS, January 2006

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