Oxford Uni request injunction to curb protests

It is the latest episode in a string of events that has seen animal extremist activity hog the limelight in the British Media and has set an agenda that could decide the future of animal experimentation use in the pharmaceutical industry.

Although many pharmaceutical companies with a UK presence have vowed not to shift operations elsewhere, the feeling is that activists are scaring off other companies, jeopardising future investment.

Under the requests set out by >Oxford University​, the number of people allowed to attend weekly demonstrations at the university-owned biomedical research centre would be reduced to 12. The duration of the protest would also be scaled back to one hour at lunchtime.

The University also want the same level of protection for companies and contractors associated with the university, which has premises throughout the city.

Construction was suspended for 16 months after the previous contractor pulled out citing intimidation form animal extremists as the main cause. Work was only resumed last November.

Animal campaigners and civil rights groups expectedly hit out at such moves, arguing that it was infringing on rights to lawful protest.

However, the University hit back claiming the protests were having a detrimental effect throughout the city and more people were becoming the target of intimidation and harassment.

Mel Broughton, a spokesman for animal activist group Speak, told the BBC: "It goes way beyond what is necessary. What they are seeking is in fact an attack on the right to protest."​

"This continued attack on legal protest is likely to have the effect where some people will give up the whole idea of legal protest and take to a protest outside the law."​

Oxford University already have an existing injunction in place, which allows 50 people to demonstrate opposite the construction site on South Parks Road.

This limits protests to Thursdays between 1pm and 5pm. The injunction also bans protest activities, including the use of megaphones and cameras, within a designated exclusion zone.

Public opinion seems to have taken a radical turn in the UK after animal activists scaled new heights of intimidation, targeting those with even the slightest link to animal testing.

Last month saw GSK private shareholders receive threatening letters by unknown extremists warning them of the consequences should they decide to continue investing in the company.

The start of this week also saw the Prime Minister personally pledging his support for animal testing as he publicly put his name to an online petition supporting such testing.