ANOTHER SANOFI-AVENTIS DEMONSTRATION IN NEWCASTLE

Wednesday, 16th September

Peaceful campaigners gathered at Newcastle monument at 3.30pm, the police were waiting for us. They even shook hands with the legal monitor/advisor, they told us they were happy to "allow" us to demonstrate, we firmly reminded them we didn't need their permission to exercise of right to freedom of protest. As soon as the video camera was turned on the police walked away and left us to it.

Demonstrators arrived at Sanofi-Aventis' Fawdon site to protest against animal cruelty and their dealings and support for HLS. The protest had just started no less that 2 minutes in and protesters were confronted by angry residents asking (telling) us to go NOW. We politely refused at this point, whereas the women tried to grab the megaphone and was told to stop attacking the peaceful protester and people stopped and looked we got plenty support so the women then went and called the police.

The police turn up on queue with one car, 1 officer and 1 van, 2 officers. They read though the High Court injunction, saw we were abiding by the injunction and said they couldn't do anything as the protest was legal. They told the residents that no laws were being broken (by Us, at least) and left.

About 5 minutes later the residents came out again and another confrontation ensued where residents were angry with the noise to which protesters stated if you're angry at us you are angry at the wrong people, one of the neighbours threatened to move us with his baseball bat and he was getting rather irate and threatening, the man walked away shouting he was going to get his bat, he never returned.

Presently, the police turned up again, and them more and more. Until there were 14 police and numerous vehicles, they then had a read of the injunction... and said they had had complaints from the neighbours, although they were not interested it the fact that there had been violent threats to us. The protesters were surrounded by 13 police officers a TOTAL waste of tax payers money and we carried on with our protest, before leaving when nearly all the Sanofi staff had left by this time.

It was balant, biased policing and was intimidation and harassment by the Northumbria police. Newcastle Animal Rights is a peaceful non violent group and we call upon other NE groups to come and support us at next week's Sanofi demo, please attend if you can.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTN7JqgnWX0

Newcastle AR: newcastlear@hotmail.com