Animal Rights Direct Action Coalition

Prosecutors File Motion to Revoke Kevin Kjonaas' Bail

Federal prosecutors this week asked a judge to revoke the bail of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty’s Kevin Kjonaas and jail him until his upcoming trial on charges of conspiracy to terrorize, interstate stalking, and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking.

As part of his bail terms, Kjonaas is barred from “disseminating any personal or private information about company employees and their families, and from threatening or inducing others to threaten anyone.”

Federal prosecutors claim that Kjonaas violated the terms of his bail when activists showed up to protest at the home of Chiron counsel William Green on August 15. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles McKenna and Ricardo Solano argued in their motion that,

There is clear and convincing evidence that the attack on Green’s home was coordinated by SHAC-USA, and defendant (Kevin) Kjonaas — as the president of SHAC — is responsible for its activities.

McKenna and Solano note that the protest was publicized on SHAC’s web site, that demonstrators carried a banner displaying the URL to SHAC’s web site, and that leaflets were passed out on SHAC stationery.

Kjonaas’ attorney, Isabel McGinty, responded that her client had resigned as president of SHAC almost two weeks before the protest, and besides the protesters identified themselves as being with the Animal Rights Direct Action Coalition.

Source:

Feds want animal rights activist in jail. John Martin, New Jersey Star-Ledger, September 7, 2004.

Oakland Police Stop Protesters, Threaten Arrest Should They Return

Apparently tipped off ahead of time about a planned protest by Direct Action of San Francisco, Oakland police stopped a planned protest at the home of a lawyer for Valent Biosciences. Activists targeted the man because Valent does business with Huntingdon Life Sciences.

Using about six marked cards, police forced the activists to retreat to nearby Montclair Village where a Honda Civic with six of the activists was stopped by Oakland police. Oakland police warned the activist that if they went into Oakland to protest at the lawyer’s home, they would be arrested.

Direct Action of San Francisco’s Andrea Lindsay complained to the Tri-Valley Herald that, “We’ve done absolutely nothing.” She added that even if activists at such protests vandalize homes, such acts of violence cannot possibly be blamed on the organizers/sponsors of such protests. She went on to defend such vandals, saying,

It’s not just angst-ridden teens. Some are people who sincerely believe in the cause and are convinced that economic sabotage is the only way to bring about change.

This is the same Andrea Lindsay who last October defended the bombing of Chiron’s headquarters.

Source:

Protesters, police get lost in chase. Glenn Chapman, Tri-Valley Herald, August 22, 2004.

Aaron Zellhoefer Is Just A Misunderstood Young Man

Activists of all stripes turned out to protest the BIO 2004 conference held in San Francisco California earlier this month. About 33 people were arrested after trying to shut down the meeting, and the animal rights activists had a message for Huntingdon Life Sciences and companies that might do business with it.

According to the Tri-Valley Herald,

A sign nearby proclaimed, “Do business with HLS — Have a blast!!”, referring to laboratory firm Huntingdon Life Sciences, targeted by an international animal-rights campaign. Two East Bay companies — Emeryville’s Chiron Corp. and Pleasanton’s Shaklee Corp. — were bombed last year for having had dealings with HLS . . .

“Don’t think you can do business with HLS and get away with it,” Aaron Zellhoefer, holding one end of the sign, admonished conference attendees Tuesday.

Zellhoefer was part of a group of activists with Animal Rights Direct Action Coalition-San Francisco who in April 2001 occupied the San Francisco offices of Stephens, Inc.

In an amusing twist, Zellhoefer was also one of the youths that Kelly Luker chose to feature in a 1997 article about how older Americans irrationally feared younger people who looked and acted differently with the cut line on a photograph of Zellhoefer and a friend reading, “Dave Chircop (left) and Aaron Zellhoefer say they think that kids are unfairly labeled as lazy or dangerous.”

Sources:

Protesters throng biotech meeting. Josh Richman, Tri-Valley Herald, June 9, 2004.

Kids these days. Kelly Luker, MetroActive, 1997.

Protestors seize financial district offices. Press Release, Animal Rights Direct Action Coalition-San Francisco, 2001.

More Andrea Lindsay on Animal Rights Extremism

Previously I mentioned statements that Andrea Lindsay made to KGO-TV about the bombing of Chiron Corp., apparently identifying herself as a SHAC spokesperson. KRON 4 also ran a story featuring additional comments by Lindsay justifying that and other animal rights extremist activities.

KRON identifies Lindsay as being part of the Animal Rights Direct Action Coalition and quotes her as saying of the Chiron bombing,

Tentatively, I would say yes [it was justified], it caused economic damage and no people were hurt and it did cause damage to Chiron, which is fantastic.

KRON also asked Lindsay what she though of activist harassment of Laurent Manrique. Manrique’s restaurant/shop, which served foie gras, was severely vandalized in an action that also damaged surrounding shops. The most disturbing aspect of the actions against Manrique, however, were activists who stationed themselves outside his home and videotaped him and his family going about their routine and then mailed the videotape to Manrique with a letter notifying the family they were being watched. As Manrique put it, “I freaked out and my wife started to panic.”

For Lindsay, however, this is all in a day’s work for the committed activist,

The things happening to the foie gras chefs I certainly support. I think that they don’t have any right to go home and feel comfortable while they’re inflicting suffering on innumerable animals.

Ah that trademarked animal rights compassion at work again.

Source:

Is radical activism effective? KRON, August 28, 2003.