For
an extended stay:
A federal jury has found six animal rights protestors guilty of using their website to incite attacks on the operations of animal testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences. They face jail time of up to 23 years and hefty fines.
The six were charged with violating the US' Animal Enterprise Protection Act. During the trial, held in New Jersey, defence lawyers argued the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) activists were not advocating violence on the site, despite listing names, home addresses and personal details of Huntingdon employees. However, prosecutors were able to satisfy the jury that although they could not directly prove the six had themselves participated in violence, they had celebrated it online and repeatedly claimed credit for action.
The website is no longer running. The URL now leads to a message saying: "I'm sorry the site has been shut down. You may wish to visit the UK site."
Prosecutor Charles B McKenna was also able to produce phone records showing that SHAC president Kevin Kjonaas, one of those convicted yesterday, called a man charged with bombing a California biotech lab soon after the explosion. The jury saw a protest video of group director Lauren Gazzola, also convicted yesterday, warning targets: "The police can't protect you!"
McKenna praised the decision, noting that the First Amendment does not give the right to incite violence.
A distinction that is lost on the thugs that inhabit the fever swamps of modern "progressivism". Speaking of which:
Outside court, new SHAC USA president Pam Ferdin said the verdict was an attack on free speech and that with its founders locked up the group would now likely disband. Ferdin - a former child star and the voice of Lucy in the Peanuts cartoon series - complained: "Anyone who writes anything in an email or on a website is being treated like we're in a fascist state."
In a fascist state, Pammy wouldn't even be holding a new conference, but then she knows that.
