"I’ve always held a high level of respect for animals. I remember when I was nine it suddenly occurred to me that the juice on my dinner was actually blood. I was eating a dead body. I didn’t knowingly eat meat again.

This was the extent of my animal rights activity until my last year at school. One day I was innocently minding my own, when I stumbled upon some old ALF SG and Huntingdon Death Sciences newsletters.

I flicked through the pages, and the alternating abuse / liberation pictures filled me with intense love and with rage; Love for the animals and their heroic liberators, and rage that anyone could knowingly inflict any suffering onto a sentient being, let alone the horrific levels of barbarity I was now being exposed to.

It was at this precise moment I realised something had to be done. The animal rights movement is only as good as the individuals involved. If no one gets active, nothing will happen and animals will continue to die.

The next couple of years were spent increasing my knowledge of animal abuse and the fight against it, getting involved in the local animal rights movement and finally turning vegan.

In the first display of direct action in 2001, three of us found ourselves chained to a couple of minibuses outside HLS’ main lab in Huntingdon. For the next four hours no one could enter or leave the premises.

Eventually the cops managed to find a way to remove us and after many a balls up by Her Majesty's finest, we were sent on our way with a £150 fine. Job done.

As we rolled into March, I went over the razor wire at one of HLS’ beagle suppliers (Harlan Interfauna).

The images I saw inside Interfauna will stay ingrained on my memory forever. Dozens of beagles cowering at the backs of their cages, terrified just at the sight of a human.

One of the dogs started to bark, end exposed bloody stumps where its teeth should have been. The memory that hurts most however, is of a young dog running up to the bars of her cage and dancing on her hind legs, letting me stroke her and play with her. As I stared deep into her beautiful eyes, with tears rolling down my cheeks as a torrent of sadness, I promised her I would do everything in my power to close down HLS.

I intend to keep that promise. The police eventually came, and proceeded to nick me – despite the fact that they could clearly see the suffering that had had me in tears for the last two hours. As one copper politely informed me, “That’s none of our concern lad”. Right then, so civil trespass is more important than slavery, torture and murder? Once again proving that the police are simply there to retain power and money – and to hell with anyone else!

After an arrest during a (legal!) office occupation of Marsh, I was imprisoned for two weeks - well, two weeks with a comfy bed, a TV, plenty to read and lots of vegan food, it provided a nice chance to recharge my batteries until the ever-Democratic state decided that they had got it wrong and let me out.

It’s going to take a lot more than malicious arrest, prosecution and detention to stop me fighting for liberation. My convictions will stay with me to my grave, and that is where they will have to put me if they want to get rid of me.

Of course, most people who get involved with Animal Rights never get arrested; it is simply due to the confrontational nature of my actions, and then the inevitable police recognition that has resulted in these arrests.

There is a place for EVERYONE in the movement, whatever you want to do it will be accepted and appreciated (certainly by the animals we fight for!).

The only thing I would say is that lobbying the government is a waste of time. They are controlled by the very people we are fighting; they listen to money – not reason. The police are just the visible arm of the state and they will use intimidation and violence to ensure that the almighty pound sign is not threatened. No, we cannot ask for freedom – we have to take it.

Forcing a tube down a rat’s throat is violent, dissecting a live monkey is violent, punching a beagle puppy is violent. We all hate the violence – that is why we have to fight it!

So there it is, the reason I am against HLS, and everyone like them. Walking the path of true change."

XtomX