There’s a heated campaign going on in England to block the construction of a controversial animal testing facility at Oxford University. I’ve written a bit about the heavy-handed protest bans at the building site, to silence dissent.
Now, in the name of protecting against “animal rights extremists” and “eco-terrorists,” animal rights activists have been banned from demonstrating in the village where the construction workers are staying. It’s an outgrowth of the Green Scare mentality, using scare mongering to outlaw even the most legal, public actions because of politics.
From The Telegraph:
The activists will be allowed to hold a lawful demonstration outside the college only on a Wednesday afternoon, provided there are fewer than 50 people. Speak, the organisation leading the campaign against the building, which will house animals for testing, said it would appeal.
It’s likely only a matter of time before these bans gain momentum in the United States. They essentially create a free speech bubble to protect corporate interests. Activism isn’t outlawed, but lawful activists can’t get anywhere near the entity their protests target, or with any numbers. In other words, these laws don’t ban protest, but they ban meaningful protest.