Animal activists stage gruesome ‘experimentation’ protest

Updated

Activists locked themselves in a cage and were “experimented” upon in a gruesome demonstration against animal testing.

Two protesters, dressed in skin-coloured clothing, looked out at passers-by before being hauled out by one of their associates dressed in a lab coat.

Fifteen animal rights protesters took part in the demonstration outside Mac Cosmetics in Brighton, East Sussex, organised by Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) Brighton.

They held signs and a megaphone blared out: “In the UK, there are four million animals being experimented on in laboratories each year. Every eight seconds, an animal dies from experimentation.”

Mac Cosmetics states on its website that it does not conduct animal testing or contract others to conduct animal testing.

Two protesters staged the role of animals in a cage, wearing skin coloured clothing.

They had graphic make-up designed to look like animals who are victims of experimentation.

An activist takes part in a Mac Cosmetics protest in Brighton
An activist takes part in a Mac Cosmetics protest in Brighton

An activist wearing a white lab coat acted out some of the ways researchers allegedly inflict cruel experiments on animals.

One of the activists staging the role of an animal had their make-up designed to depict a monkey named Britches, who was freed by the Animal Liberation Front in 1985 from a laboratory at the University of California, Riverside.

Britches’ eyes were sewn shut when he was found, as part of a study of sensory-deprivation involving 24 infant monkeys.

According to the latest Government figures (for 2018), a total of 3.52 million animal experiments were completed in Great Britain during 2018, according to DxE Brighton.

DxE says it aims to achieve social and political change for animals by using non violent tactics to directly challenge systems of oppression.

It says the target of these protests are not individuals or particular companies but the system of “speciesism” which is the deeply ingrained form of discrimination which leads to treating and regarding members of a certain species better than others.

A DxE Brighton spokesman said: “Animal testing is unnecessary. Many tests that are conducted on animals actually fail on human trials, meaning the animal was experimented on pointlessly.

“It is nothing but violence towards sentient beings.

“We must stand together against speciesism. Some are not ready to hear our message of equality and justice but we must act now as the animals do not have time to wait.” one spokesman added.

Protesters outside Mac Cosmetics store in Brighton
Protesters outside Mac Cosmetics store in Brighton

Another spokesman said “A cruel and violent system must be challenged.

“Speaking out against animal use can be scary but it is nothing compared to what the animals go through.”

Last month, DxE Brighton staged a lock-on outside Brighton Town Hall, where three activists were chained to the front of the building for 24 hours – part of a global protest for an animal bill of rights proposition called Rose’s Law.

On its website, Mac Cosmetics states: “Mac does not test on animals. We do not own any animal testing facilities and we never ask others to test on animals for us.

“While some governments conduct animal testing to prove safety before they will allow us to sell our products, Mac has never tested on animals and we continue to be a leader in the movement to end animal testing globally.”

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