Just Desserts

Paul Domski sends this link to a story about the sentencing of some AR terrorists in England:

"The family of brothers Chris and John Hall, who ran the business at Darley Oaks farm in rural Staffordshire, and their staff, were subject to firebomb attacks, had paint-stripper poured over their cars and bricks thrown through their windows.

"Other incidents saw a golf course used by John Hall damaged; newsagents that supplied papers to the family were threatened and letters were sent to neighbours of the owner of a firm providing fuel oil to the farm, falsely claiming he was a paedophile.

"But it was the attack in October 2004 on the grave of Hammond, Chris Hall's mother-in-law who had died seven years earlier, that grabbed national attention."

The Hall's crime? THEY RAISED GUINEA PIGS, for medical research.

"The gang, three of whom had criminal convictions dating back to 1987, were leading members of the Save The Newchurch Guinea Pigs (SNGP) campaign, police said."

So, did the good guys win? Not exactly:

"To that end, the group can claim success. In January, exhausted by the relentless intimidation, the Halls quit breeding.

"This victory is a dramatic blow to an industry which can and will be defeated by kind-hearted activists," the SNGP said on its Web site at the time." [Emphasis mine]

And the implications?

"In January 2004, Cambridge University gave up plans for a 32 million pound primate research center over fears it would not be safe from militants.

"The government reacted by introducing tough measures to clamp down on the activists, but only this week GlaxoSmithKline, Europe's biggest pharmaceuticals manufacturer, said shareholders had received letters warning them to sell their stock or risk having their names posted on the Internet."

Just can't wait until they get here...