On December 17th, activists in the UK held demonstrations against those involved in the transport of animals for laboratory experiments as part of the Global Day of Action.

First of all we headed for HIG Capital Europe, the parent company of Amerijet who transport primates from South America and the Caribbean for experimentation. It was clear on arrival that they were not expecting us, as we informed everybody around about today’s expose of the company breaching the US Animal Welfare Act on 13 separate occasions and stood in solidarity with the animals abused by this sickening company and the activists protesting them across the world. As the doors were held open, chanting echoed throughout the building and nobody was left without a doubt of our determination to stop the lab animal trade once and for all. Staff reacted with violence, kicking at protesters shins and pushing campaigners away from the offices.

Next of all we headed for the Mauritian Embassy, due to this country endorsing the cruelty of capturing primates in the wild and monkey hunters being exposed recently for animal cruelty, including locking these intelligent creatures in garden sheds. Staff at the embassy buzzed activists in through the doors, as chants of “Close down the primate farms” echoed through the building. No representatives of Mauritius were available to comment about the ongoing primate trade, so we held a demonstration outside the building. Shortly after heading off, 20 armed police officers surrounded placard-holding protesters, searched them and told of how the embassy staff had not expected demonstrations and reacted by hitting the emergency panic buttons! We will return to the Mauritian Embassy again.

As severe heavy snow hailed down, the armed police headed for the embassy of St Kitts and Nevis and brought the country’s UK representatives into a high status of security. However, we just left them too it and moved off. The Prime Minister of these tiny islands wrote letters to Amerijet, pathetically urging them not to stop flying primates for vivisection.

We will continue to place pressure on those involved in the lab animal trade with regular demonstrations.