Stop HLS Animal Cruelty March #1 (5 pics)

[garethhhhh]

About a 1000 people gathered in Cambridge today to campaign against the shocking animal cruelty and abuse being carried out by HLS (Huntingdon Life Science), in the name of science...



Just a warning:

Some of the posters, shown in the following images, may contain scenes that some viewers might find disturbing.
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[garethhhhh]

ps.

About 99% of the 350+ pictures I took today, were taken with my new EF 85mm USM which arrived (just in time!) yesterday.

[RichardtheSane]

You got some good shots of the demonstrators there.

I just hope the protest was as sucessful as your photography

[CyberDyneSystems]

The shots are great,. protests are fine...

But I can not abide terrorism of any sort.

[garethhhhh]

I have never seen so many cameras in one place before... ever!

What amazed me was that the people with the most cameras were the police!
I'd say about 10% of the entire force watching over the event, had an SLR or video camera on them! Now I know where all our taxes go...

One of the groups taking part in today's march is really fanatical, and a lot of their members have already been arrested. They were chanting "Burn down HLS! Burn down HLS!" all day long.
I guess the police were just taking pictures & video to get info on these people.

[Laziferous]

Well, I'm not an activist, but I guess I'm a terrorist. I've gotten into fistfights with complete strangers I see mistreating animals on purpose. It's evil, and those who do it, are cowards.

Nevermind me, I don't want to turn this thread into a debate

Really great pictures. Looks like you're going to have fun with that 85mm lens.

[Tom W]

Great shots, Garethhhhh.

No, its not my "pet" issue either, but I do like the way you captured the scenario in both threads.

[Tom W]

Originally Posted by garethhhhh

I have never seen so many cameras in one place before... ever!

What amazed me was that the people with the most cameras were the police!
I'd say about 10% of the entire force watching over the event, had an SLR or video camera on them! Now I know where all our taxes go...

One of the groups taking part in today's march is really fanatical, and a lot of their members have already been arrested. They were chanting "Burn down HLS! Burn down HLS!" all day long.
I guess the police were just taking pictures & video to get info on these people.

Unfortunately, the chant will probably persuade someone to try it - thus the police with cameras.

[garethhhhh]

Thanks guys!

I'm not an activist either, although I do agree that animal testing is very wrong.
I read about this march in the paper a couple of days previous & I thought it would be a great opportunity to grab some "people shots".
I don't have the guts to take pics of people in public places , so this was a perfect opportunity for me to give it a go.

[Tom W]

Originally Posted by garethhhhh

Thanks guys!

I'm not an activist either, although I do agree that animal testing is very wrong.

I guess that depends on a lot of things - the nature of the testing and the usefullness of the result. IMHO, testing that advances medical science and prolongs human life (and by default, animal life as well in many cases) is necessary, but MUST be done with consideration of the animal's suffering in mind. As well, testing that doesn't cause undue sufferring (perhaps something like an allergy test or the sort which would provide short-term moderate discomfort) doesn't seem objectionable to me. But if the animal is make to endure prolonged suffering and if the results don't satisfy lofty goals, then I'm not inclined to support it.

I read about this march in the paper a couple of days previous & I thought it would be a great opportunity to grab some "people shots".
I don't have the guts to take pics of people in public places , so this was a perfect opportunity for me to give it a go.

And you did well. You probably won't find me marching in the streets any time soon, unless the politicos in Nashville try to defy the Tennessee constitution and impose an income tax again. Then I'll be out there with my own sign.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Originally Posted by Laziferous

Well, I'm not an activist, but I guess I'm a terrorist. I've gotten into fistfights with complete strangers I see mistreating animals on purpose. It's evil, and those who do it, are cowards.

Nevermind me, I don't want to turn this thread into a debate

Really great pictures. Looks like you're going to have fun with that 85mm lens.

No it's my fault,. this was certainly NOT the place for me to post my concernes.. Sorry Gareth.

But I do feel I need to explain briefly my misguided statement.

I am right there with the protestors, and you Laz as far as the treatment of animals. And taking an individual to task for abuse mano et mano is not at all what I mean by 'terrorism"

My reference was towards the tactics that have been used in this particular case. People who work for Huntingdon have had there houses vandalised and burned,. there cars torched, and there lives threatened. They have been beaten by mobs and hospitalized.

These tactics are terrorism by definiton.

The attempt is not to sway public opinion or to prevent the injury to animals through legal action, but instead to instill fear in the workers of the facility. These tactics taken reduce the cause of the law abiding protesters to the same level as those that would fly a jet into a sky scraper. It damages the cause and merely strengthens the resolve of those on the other side of the debate.

Being convinced that our cause is just and that we are in the right does not grant us license to beat, burn and terrorise.

These are the same tactics that Anti Abortion terrorists use when they beat and murder doctors,.. when the burn or bomb health clinics.

Wow,. sorry Gareth.. I felt bad for taking your thread off course,. and now I have gone even further.

[garethhhhh]

Don't worry about it CDS.

PM sent

[CyberDyneSystems]

Gareth has graciously asked that this thread be moved to General Chat to allow and encourage further debate on the topics that his images have inspired.

Thanks Gareth,. and if you ask me,. this is exactly what good journalistic photography is all about.

[Laziferous]

CDS-
No no man. Your statement wasn't misguided at all. Mine more so if anyones I don't know, I just saw the picture of that cat on the poster in the 5th picture, and the look of terror in it's face as it was being tortured, and I just got really pissed off. I just really can't stand it, and I should refrain from making ANY comments until after I cool down. My apologies man. I meant no foul towards you personally whatsoever!

I know what you meant by your statement, and I know by looking at your photos, that you are an animal lover as well. I'm pretty sure that the majority of us here are.

Geeze, I seem to have foot-in-mouth disease here lately. Sorry guys

[garethhhhh]

See the full gallery at http://www.garethhhhh.co.uk/shac.html