End of Jan/Start of Feb Activities

Holla.
A brief reminder of some of the activities coming up over the next few weeks.

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January Saturday 28th
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Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Belstaff (New Cathedral Street – behind Marks & Sparks) at 11am – 2.30pm.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.

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February Saturday 4th
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Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Belstaff (New Cathedral Street – behind Marks & Sparks) at 11am – 2.30pm.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.

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February Sunday 5th
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Legal talk for the benefit of all Activists.
Upstairs at The Britons Protection from 2pm – 6pm.
The Britons Protection is in the city centre of Manchester, next to GMEX/Manchester Central – near to where the Hacienda used to be.

Know what to do to not get nicked, or what to do if you do get nicked.
Even if you have attended one of these before, laws change and a refresher is always a good thing.

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February Monday 6th
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MAA meeting at Fuel Cafe bar in Withington, 7:30pm (get there a little earlier to order food).

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Stalls
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If anyone wants to do mid-week vegan/general campaigning stalls please get in touch.
We will get stuff to you!

Sanctuary Visit

Sanctuary Visits

 

As it’s beginning to look more like spring, we’re back to doing regular sanctuary visits. The first of these was a return to Lower Moss Wood in Knutsford. The sanctuary isn’t open to the public, so it’s always really nice to get to spend time in the beautiful woodland, wildlife hospital and peat land that make it up.

A group of seven MAAers  headed over. Ray gave us a tour of the site so that we could see how building was progressing, and set us our tasks for the day. Last time we were there, we demolished old enclosures and painted all the woodwork on the site. This time, there were three main jobs to be done.

Team A: “The Bog Dwellers”, took the task of digging out peat that has begun to choke one of the lakes on the site. The two girls spent their day balancing on boards at the edge of the bog, and cutting, digging and pulling huge wads of peat from the edge. By the end of the day, they were soaked, muddy, grinning, and had made a visible dent in the edge of the lake.

Team B:  Team B consisted of MAA’s resident building expert. She was set the task of replacing and painting fencing around some of the bog area to make it safer for new school groups to visit. She single handily removed old posts, pounded in the new ones with a very heavy stake driver, and built and repainted the new fencing.

Team C: The four members of Team C (and this author’s team: go team logs!) were charged with the task of clearing dead trees from an area of woodland, sawing the logs and creating new wood-pile habitats for invertebrates.  We began by clearing those trees and branches from the woodland floor that were obviously dead, and chopped them into logs using handsaws. These were then used to create around 30 new insect habitats around the woods. As we became better at identifying trees that were standing, but dead, we were able to use the hand saws to fell them, to create new space in the woodland and make paths safer for school visitors.

Once we’d packed up, we went to meet the hospitals resident foxes, owls, crow, bats, and two particularly charming and hungry pigs. Next time we’ve promised them some apples.

It was a fantastic day. It was great to work outside with the promise of spring in the air, and when it rained towards the end of the day, we were warm enough to be glad of it. We munched sandwiches, drank coffee, fell into bogs, smacked ourselves with hammers, got hands full of brambles and faces whacked with branches, and generally had a laugh while doing something really rewarding.

 

Sanctuary visits are a way of doing something that effects change on a really immediate basis and gets us all outside.  There’s no need for any real brawn or expertise; as long as you’re happy to work hard, get covered in mud, and crash around woodland in a slightly confused but posi manor, then join us on the next one!

January 2012 Dates and Minutes

New year, new chance to make a change.

For more details of owt listed below ring 07809 293370,
email us, or discuss on Facebook

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Demo Dates January
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Saturday 7th

Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Armani on Deansgate at 11am – 2.30pm.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. (FB/<a href=”http://twitter.

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Saturday 14th

Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Armani on Deansgate at 11am – 2.30pm.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. (FB/T)

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Sunday 15th

NARC Meeting in Liverpool. Details upon request.

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Saturday 21st

Food Stall and Vegan Information in Mcr City Centre.
Meet in St Anns Square at 12pm.
Please get in touch to cook or help out!

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.(FB/T)

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Sunday 22nd

Animal Sanctuary Day where we dig stuff.

Places filling up fast; please get in touch if interested in helping out in grounds of animal hospital/wildlife reserve.

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Saturday 28th

Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Belstaff (New Cathedral Street – behind Marks & Sparks) at 11am – 2.30pm.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. (FB/T)

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Demo Dates February
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Saturday 4th

Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Belstaff (New Cathedral Street – behind Marks & Sparks) at 11am – 2.30pm.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. (FB/T)

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Sunday 5th

Legal talk for the benefit of all Activists.
Upstairs at The Britons Protection from 2pm – 6pm.
The Britons Protection is in the city centre of Manchester, next to GMEX/Manchester Central – near to where the Hacienda used to be.

Know what to do to not get nicked, or what to do if you do get nicked.
Even if you have attended one of these before, laws change and a refresher is always a good thing.

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Monday 6th

MAA meeting at Fuel Cafe bar in Withington, 7:30pm (get there a little earlier to order food).

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Fur Notes (about the rolling demos listed above)
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Shops being asked to stop selling fur include:

Armani

See this article from 2007:

“Giorgio Armani explained that although he has used fur in his collections in the past, the Prive show he will present tonight at the Theatre de Chaillot will not have any fur. “I spoke with the people from PETA,” he explained, “and they showed me some materials that convinced me not to use fur.”

Belstaff

Burberry

Kurt Geiger

The Kooples (FB/T)

Shops that have recently taken out fur during demos that we need to monitor:

Elite Dress Agency (FB/T)

Hervia Bazzaar (FB/T)

(Include ‘Cow‘ in the list as we see fur items slipping in occassionally.)

Shops in ongoing discussions with anti-fur activists (so no actions happening at present):

Flannels (FB/T)

Forever Unique (FB/T)
Update
Forever Unique have confirmed that they now do not sell fur on their website. The one item they had was not real fur and has now sold out.

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December 2011 Dates and Minutes

It is a relatively quiet AR month coming up. Have a (bit of a) rest, avoid the mass turkey death, and come out and play where you can.

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Past Month Successes

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Issues that MAA peeps worked on…

Westhoughton Racing Track shut down!

It is with sincere regret that I must advise that the Stadium is now closed.

Due to numerous issue’s it is no longer an option to continue to operate the stadium.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported the track and genuinely wanted it to succeed.

Elite Dress Agency, Fabric and Hervia Bazaar stoppped selling fur.

Cow reconfirmed their anti fur policy after fur was reported to them.

Interview on BBC Radio FiveLive about the fur trade.

Did we miss summat? If so please tell us!

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Fur Notes

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About the rolling fur demos listed below;  shops being asked to stop selling fur include:

Armani

See this article from 2007:

“Giorgio Armani explained that although he has used fur in his collections in the past, the Prive show he will present tonight at the Theatre de Chaillot will not have any fur. “I spoke with the people from PETA,” he explained, “and they showed me some materials that convinced me not to use fur.”

Belstaff

Flannels (FB/T)

Kurt Geiger

The Kooples (FB/T)

Shops that have recently taken out fur during demos that we need to check:

Elite Dress Agency (FB/T)

Hervia Bazzaar (FB/T)

(Include ‘Cow‘ in the list as we see fur items slipping in occassionally.)

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Demo Dates December

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Saturday 10th

Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Armani on Deansgate at 11am.  There will also be an information stall with general animal rights leaflets.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. (FB/T)

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Thursday 15th

Collection at Lush in Chester. Collection for Forget Me Not Animal Rescue who are good friends of MAA. (FB/T)

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Friday 16th

Harlan Dog Breeders Demo.

Midweek demo at Harlan Interfauna giving us an opportunity to tell the workers what we think about breeding and selling innocent dogs for horrific, brutal, barbaric animal testing – please be there if you can …….

Harlan Interfauna is Britain’s last beagle farm, holding 1,000 dogs in windowless units. A recent exposé revealed how dogs are being bred at the site in barren, concrete kennels and only provided with twenty minutes exercise each week. Workers were also documented to be kicking and punching beagles.

Documentation has revealed beagles being exported as far afield as Korea for use in barbaric experiments.

MAA plan to travel down to support this one. If you want a lift please holla!

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Saturday 17th

Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Armani on Deansgate at 11am – 2pm.  There will also be an information stall with general animal rights leaflets.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. (FB/T)

MAA XMas Meal – Cancelled due to venue problems. Going for a drink and chat at Britons Protection pub on Sunday evening instead.

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Sunday 18th

Dogs 4 Us Demo Dogs 4 Us demo 12 – 4, Agecroft Road, Salford.

Xmas Drinks Meet for a chat at the Britons Protection Pub (near the GMEX/McrCentral) Sunday evening – times TBC.

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Friday 23rd

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.(FB/T)

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Sunday 25th

Not much AR stuff in Manchester this xmas weekend, but if you want to get your demo on, there is a SPEAK Campaigns Xmas Day demo in Oxford. MAA used to do a lot with this campaign and MAA peeps have gone to this demo in the past.

Christmas Day Demo

Meet:  11am – 2pm at Sunderland Avenue, by the ring road, Oxford, OX2

MAP

Christmas is no holiday or celebration for those animals held inside Oxford University’s laboratories, it is just another day of imprisonment and suffering. However, their plight is not forgotten – SPEAK supporters will be holding the usual Christmas day demo to show Oxford University that there are no days that we consider too important not to fight for the innocent victims that this institution insists on tormenting to death.

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Monday 26th

At the monthly MAA meeting we discussed joining the Manchester Hunt Sabs for the traditional Boxing Day hunting lunacy that goes on, but for strategic reasons the sabs aren’t going out on Boxing Day this year.

There is a list of other regional sab groups available here if readers want to try and find a group to go out and with.

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Saturday 31st

Rolling fur demos during the day in Manchester City Centre, starting outside Armani on Deansgate at 11am.  There will also be an information stall with general animal rights leaflets.

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Demo Dates January

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Monday 2nd

MAA meeting at Fuel Cafe bar in Withington, 7:30pm (get there a little earlier to order food).

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Saturday 7th

B & K Breeders – March For The Beagles.

In the sleepy hamlet of Grimston, East Yorkshire, B&K Universal plan to construct the UK’s largest farm breeding beagles for experimentation. If constructed, the facility will hold 2,000 dogs – factory farmed for laboratories. They will spend their lives in windowless sheds with no access to the outdoors.

B&K Universal’s sister company was, earlier this year, had their licese revoked following a raid by the Italian police. Conditions discovered included beagles cowering through fear of human contact, ill animals needing treatment and kennel units covered in faeces.

On two occasions, permission for B&K Universal’s beagle farm has been turned down. As a matter of public interest, it has now been recoved by the Secretary of State, Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, who is due to make a decision in January.

This is out last chance to make a stand before the government decision on the farm. We must stand stong and never let a single brick be layed.

March alongside us on Sat 7th January 2012 and stand proud against the Grimston beagle farm!

Please bring purple flags – the colour of the anti-vivisectionists.

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Other Stuff

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Animal Circus Mondao have a pantomime running  for the whole of December.

http://cinderellapanto2011.com/

Tel 07722 791777

TONG GARDEN CENTRE,

TONG LANE ,

BRADFORD,

BD4 0RY.

For details of what is wrong with animals in circuses please see CAPS.

Demos 1st Weekend of December

December isn’t just about adverts and Jamie Oliver, we have shouting to do as well.

A reminder of stuff coming up over the next weekend:

Saturday 3rd
Rolling Fur Demos in Mcr City Centre.
Full fur hoopla with props and schtuff.
Meet outside Armani on Deansgate at 10am.
 
Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.
 
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Sunday 4th
Dogs 4 Us demo planned from 12pm.
Lower Lodge  Agecroft Rd, Pendlebury, Swinton, Manchester M27 8SN
 
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Monday 5th
MAA meeting at Fuel Cafe bar in Withington, 7:30pm (get there a little earlier to order food).
 

Fabric Fur News

Good news!

Fabric of Monton, who were selling fur have now stopped selling fur! Woot.

MAA have been advised that having been contacted by people concerned with the abusive nature of the fur industry Fabric are now taking an ethical stance against selling fur.

Well done Fabric!

November 2011 Diary Dates

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November
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Saturday 12th

Nowt planned during the day but Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton. As it is every Saturday night.

Monday 14th

Greyhound Demo Against the BBC for their Support of Greyhound Racing.
Oxford Road at 11am.

SRCL Day of Action. (Clinical waste disposal for the vivisection industry, as used by Harlan Interfauna.)
No demos planned.
Contact info available in – http://www.antivivisection.info/resources/srcl-mailout.pdf

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Wednesday 16th

Greyhound Stall in Bolton.
Deansgate (Bolton) outside M&S 11am – 3pm.

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Saturday 19th

Rolling Fur Demos in Mcr City Centre.
Full fur hoopla with props and schtuff.
Meet outside Armani on Deansgate at 10am.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.

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Friday 25th

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:15pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.

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Saturday 26th

National Day of Action Against Fur in London.
Transport arrangements TBC. (Please get in touch…we need people for minibus places.)
Meet 12 noon, Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 8PQ (Tube: Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly Line)

Rolling Fur Demos in Mcr City Centre.

Liverpool Incredible Viva! Veggie Roadshow
Liverpool Town Hall, 2 High Street, Liverpool L2 3SW
http://www.viva.org.uk/vegetarian-vegan-roadshow/liverpool.html

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Sunday 27th

Sanctuary Day Cancelled Due To Myriad Problems – mainly phonecalls not being returned.

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December
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Saturday 3rd

Rolling Fur Demos in Mcr City Centre.
Full fur hoopla with props and schtuff.
Meet outside Armani on Deansgate at 10am.

Belle Vue Dog Demo is 6:30pm to 7:30pm, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Gorton.

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Sunday 4th

Dogs 4 Us Demo , 12pm onwards. Media support for this campaign!
Lower Lodge  Agecroft Rd, Pendlebury, Swinton, Manchester M27 8SN

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Monday 5th

MAA meeting at Fuel Cafe bar in Withington, 7:30pm (get there a little earlier to order food).

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Dogs 4 Us Protest Report

Dogs 4 us protest 6/11/2011

The protest is help to raise awareness. Many people are dog lovers and go to Dogs 4 Us in the hope of finding their new best friend with 4 legs but don’t have a clue about the abuse, neglect and most disgusting practices that are carried out at puppy farms. Dogs 4 Us do not do the breeding or break any laws, however, they are supporting the puppy farm trade, which in the process enables these practices ……….the practices that maim the puppies mother and in many cases feed illness and long term disabilities down the breeding line…………and down to their new best friend, disabilities and diseases that in many cases will in the end kill their new best friend.

You only have to visit the Puppy Love web site and click on the link to the Channel 5 documentary to see the horror that is the puppy trade. This is the horror we want people to fight against and this is why we need you.

The protest is a small one, Sundays protest was 6 people handing out information and holding up banners to spread the word and inform the public of what they are supporting so they can then make an informed decision and either buy a puppy or go elsewhere…..nothing more nothing less.

We were spat at, sworn at, had our mug shots taken, leaflets ripped up, threatened in more ways than one and met there heavy crew (that they called on their mobiles). This sounds scarier than it actually was, I can assure you. We are more determined than ever now to make this protest bigger and better!!! The way I see it, if they can do that to six people that are more than ready and willing to stand united and defend their cause………….what are they doing to the dogs they breed purely for greed.

Barry Horne 10 Years Memorial Actions

Sat, many of us went down to Huntingdon to celebrate the life of Barry, and to  remind HLS that we’re still here. It was a good turn out, and a fantastic march through the center of Huntingdon where so many of the lab workers live and shop.

Later, we traveled to the Lab itself, where speakers remembered Barry, the hunger strikes, and  talked about the camp that activists set up outside HLS.

HLS labs are a strange place to stand outside in the quiet fields in autumn. It’s a beautiful and quiet place, with flat fields and rolling mist. Turn to face the labs though,and you are faced with tall fences and razor wire.  Huge floodlights line the perimeter, and cameras point in every direction. You stand there, in the silence, and you know that inside that fortress hundreds of beagles, rats, Guinea pigs,  lie in small cages. In pain, afraid, alone. Slowly being poisoned to death.

It fills you up, the horror of it, and you see it in the faces of those around you, until you are shouting, together, and crying together.

We will not forget.

Belle Vue Stuff

Other than the usual Saturday demos outside Belle Vue, we have a couple of events coming up:

Monday 14th November, 11am-2pm, BBC Oxford Rd, M/cr, demo against the Beeb for its continued support of greyhound racing.

Wednesday 16th November, 11.30am till 4pm, greyhound awareness stall in Bolton town centre (opposite M&S).

All welcome, the more the better.

October Diary Dates and Minutes

Holla!
This month we had the first meeting at Fuel in Withington and it looks to be a good new home for us. New faces from both home and abroad joined the group. All round top drawer!

Diary Dates

Oct. Sat 8th
Mobile Fur Demo against various targets in Manchester.
Meet at 12 pm outside Armani on Deansgate/Spinningfields.

Oct. Sat 15th
Stalls! Information and more mobile fur demos. Meet at 12 pm outside Armani on Deansgate/Spinningfields. (Wear your costumes and stuff.)

Please note  Oct Sun 16th is the big anti-McDonalds day. Nowt has been planned for this.

Oct. Sun 23rd
CANCELLED DUE TO DATE CLASH. TO BE REARRANGED.
Travel to Harrods in London to join the ongoing fur protests with the London group.
Much vegan scran to be had in London on way back!

Oct. Sat 29th
West Midlands Vegan Fayre is on.
No official MAA transport arranged but maybe ask about to see who’s driving down.

Nov. Sat 5th
Barry Horne Memorial March and Demo in Huntigdon, Cambridgeshire.
Travel arangements will have to be made -please get in touch.

Nov. Mon 7th
Next meeting at Fuel in Withington.
Meeting starts at 7:30pm. If you want to eat food can you please try to get there a little before the meeting to have time to order it. Cheers, yo.

Nov. Sun 13th
MAA Social!
Get to Glossop, walk, and then eat at the Globe (pub with great all vegan food). Details to be confirmed at next meeting.

Every Sat. Evening
Dog demos at Belle Vue against greyhound racing.
6:30 -7:30pm.

Minutes
+ Successes over the past month discussed: Fizz and Belle Vue campiagns both going well.
+ Fur Free Manchester campaign progress report.
+ Fur targets in Manchester: list to be renewed. Duties doled out.
+ Collecting Boxes discussed.
+ Stall locations discussed.
+ Sanctuary days planned.
+ Films/Events discussed.

October Meeting Monday

It’s the October meeting tomorrow! (Monday Oct. 3rd).
Sorry for the short notice!

Because the pub venue wasn’t ideal the meetings have been moved to Fuel Veggie Cafe in Withington.

Wednesdays were taken at Fuel so they have been moved to the 1st Monday of the month instead.

So there we go. MAA meeting, Monday, Fuel, Withington, 7:30pm.

BBC Greyhound Demo Tuesday

Demo outside the BBC on Oxford Rd, Manchester on Tuesday 4th October from 11am.

The BBC have been promoting greyhound racing through Colin Murray’s slot on Radio 5 Live.

This follows a successful demo outside the BBC in Scotland. Please join us if you can.

Bobby Roberts Circus Stoke

Bobby Roberts Animal Circus is in – NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME / KEELE.
Demo on Saturday 1st October by the Stoke Animal Rights lot at 4pm.
Circus Site – Hamptons Field, Keele Road, ST5 5AA.

See CAPS for why animal circuses are baaaaad news.

SHAC Demo at AstraZeneca Fri 30th Sep

MAA have been passed these details:
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As part of SHAC‘s Day of Action this Friday, 30th Sept there will be a demo at AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, from 1-5pm.
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