Image: 2014 protest in the US organized by North Bay Animal Advocates and Direct Action Everywhere
sent to Earth First! Newswire from Unoffensive Animal
Switzerland–After being told that a slaughterhouse was going to be blockaded, two of us headed straight from Hambacher Forest to join the action alongside the folks at 269. We met around 140 more activists from many different countries in a service station nearby. We were told to act natural just before coming out of the car. It genuinely isn’t easy to not look suspicious when 140 people are having an action roundup in preparation.
About ten minutes later, the police arrived on site and all cars fled, leaving the filth wondering what was going on. After a quick scout by a couple of folks, the whole group came in en masse through the front door, running and making sure no one was left behind. With the doors open and the death row empty and ready for the day, 140 antispeciesist activists climbed over and occupied the whole kill room before anyone could do anything about it. Lock-ons were strategically placed and people chained themselves to each other. The doors were locked and barricaded from the inside. There would be no kills today in the slaughterhouse. The police was called and alerted. That would be the beginning of a 17 hour blockade that would stop the killing of 600+ animals, that would send 70 employees home and that would close down the biggest bovine slaughterhouse in Switzerland. The police took a long time to arrive, and after putting some silly requests like “leave before ten if you don’t want to get arrested” they attempted to enter. It took them another good hour to figure out how to open a door that was merely held locked with a hose pipe. Their face when they saw a lock on for the first time, priceless.
After that, the story continues as many others do. Police using pressure points, cutting lock-ons and pepper spraying anyone that resisted. One of us was pulled out of the death row by the hair, thrown to the other side of the room and then the camera they were using to film police brutality was stolen. No receipt was left to get it back, so we considered it kidnapped and lost forever. The person crossed back over the police line to climb over the machine and lock once again with other activists. But we were not the only ones at the receiving end of the stick. Every time the arrest van would bring another load of people out and the arrest room would fill more and more, people limping, bleeding or suffering from pepper spray grew in number.
The system did not appreciate the action. After a ridiculous no-comment interview and a more than likely hefty fine (if they manage to send it to the correct address), we were released. We waited for the rest to come out whilst eating chocolate and sharing stories. It had been an inspiring day. To bring down this system we need a diversity of tactics. Civil disobedience and direct action were the tools used yesterday to stop the hefty machinery of industrial speciesism. And we do not doubt that this action will inspire many more to take part and to grow the resistance.
UNTIL ALL ARE FREE!