By Evangeline Tuffs
Photos by Photography With Evangeline
Animal rights activists have held a demonstration in Margate today (January 22) as part of the National Day of Protest Against Vivisection.
Campaigners were Shottendane Road for a public outreach demonstration to help raise awareness of the cruelties within the vivisection industry.
The action was held at the site because Charles River Laboratories – one of the world’s largest animal testing companies – is close by.
Some of the attendees have been vegan and taking part in protests like these for decades, but would like to welcome anyone, no matter their age, to join them.
Members of the public took flyers from the group and onlookers and passers-by showed their support and hooted their car horns.
Animal Aid states that every 8 seconds an animal dies inside British laboratories.
According to Cruelty Free International:
According to Government figures, a total of 3.40 million experiments were completed in Great Britain during 2019.
Of these, 1.67 million (49%) related to the creation or breeding of genetically altered animals who were not used in further experiments. The remaining 1.73 million (51%) were actual experiments on animals, which included 551,835 animals (32%) that were subjected to experiments that even the researchers considered had caused them moderate or severe suffering.
Out of the total number of experiments, 57% were for basic research purposes while only 13% were required by regulators. 53% of all experiments were conducted in universities, often using taxpayers’ funds.
On its website Charles River says: “Animals have contributed to nearly every medical breakthrough in recent history, including treatments for cancer, diabetes, and AIDS, and they continue to play an essential role in the development of life-saving drugs for people and other animals.
“The welfare of the animals contributing to research is of utmost importance and a prerequisite for the accuracy, reliability, and translatability of our research.”
Campaigners are urging people to ask their MP to sign the EDM 175 to support a public scientific debate at http://forlifeonearth.eaction.online
And to ask the Home Secretary Priti Patel to make animal testing illegal.
E-mail: WithamMP@parliament.uk
Post: The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP
House of Commons
London SW1A DAA
Charles River is not close, it’s a further couple of miles (approx), into Manston.
I fully support their protest, but they would have probably had more effect, at Cecil Square, or Westwood Cross.
Jenny did attend the protest today? Do you know the reactions of the public? These people give up their spare time to stand up for animals in laboratories and to point out that humans are dying because researchers are looking in the wrong places for cures and drugs.
Wendy, I have absolutely no idea what your reply to me actually means.
You’re just talking waffle, better to say nothing, than talk rubbish.
I can also confirm I was not at your protest, so am a little unsure what you are suggesting.
They shouldn’t be having protest meetings in these times they must be anti Vaxers the trouble is if science hadn’t broke through the ignorance of people the human race would never had survived same as the anti testing brigade. They would be up in the air if we used humans sometimes what gets done may be necessary.
Our right to protest hasn’t been taken away yet, so we will protest. We are not anti vaxers, we are anti cruelty. Animals shouldn’t be used and neither should humans. We need gene specific research. The technology is already here but the money isn’t, it’s being given to vivisectors. This is delaying finding cures and drugs for humans. Please do some research like we have.
I support the ban on animal testing and I’m fully vaccinated. Please do a research. A huge numbers of experts working in the pharmaceutical sector openly acknowledge the failure of animal models in their drug development process and write about this often, in the peer reviewed scientific literature. The failure of animal models is also acknowledged by the US-based National Cancer Institute, which says we have lost cures for cancer because studies in rodents have been believed. Vaccines have never been more important than they are today, and the failure of animal models in vaccine development was underlined in no uncertain terms by the inventor of the polio vaccine, Dr. Albert Sabin, who testified under oath, at the US House of Representatives, stating progress “was long delayed by the erroneous conception of the nature of the human disease based on misleading experimental models of the disease in monkeys.” And if that wasn’t enough, the Food and Drug Administration states that nine out of ten new medicines go on to fail in human trials, because animals cannot predict human responses.
Sadly it’s all about the money. Big money!
I also fully support this protest but as very ill recovering from Omicron variant of COVID being classed by NHS as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable due to diseases caused by receiving NHS INFECTED BLOOD IN 1970’s and shielding since 3/2020 as NHS advised, after NHS TEST & TRACE notified me and advised I may be entitled to the NEWER ANTIVIRALS within 5 days. NOT surprised to be told that Jan 2022, new guidance cut back illnesses that QUALIFY FOR IT! They are actively RECRUITING TO GET HUMAN COVID PATIENTS SUITABLE FOR TREATMENT to avoid hospitalisation! Why should animals be ABUSED WHEN WE COULD BE TESTED WILLINGLY IN MY CASE. THE EXCITEMENT OF NO COVID RESTRICTIONS MEANS OVER 3 million OF US WILL NEED TO SHIELD DESPITE NO HELP TO DO SO FROM BORIS OR ANYONE ELSE SUPPOSEDLY CARING FOR US!
I wonder how many of these protesters, if faced with a life threatening illness, would fefuse all prescribed treatments and medication that has been developed by using live animal testing.
The protestors are not there because they will or will not refuse drugs, they are there because they want the way medicines are tested to be without systemic animal torture. I do not know their situations but say for example one of them are on lifelong medication. They want that medication not to be tested on an innocent sentient being.
Maddie, the first thing I would do if I wasn’t happy with how a product was developed would be to not use that product ever again. I’m just asking if these protesters are prepared to do the same.
You’re missing the point. To answer your question, I object testing on animals but I use prescribed treatments because I don’t have a choice (sadly) as every single drug must be tested on animals prior to approval for human use. I really wish it wasn’t the case and so do these activists. This was the reason they were there – to speak out against animal torture, use and abuse for no scientific evidence that animal models work on humans. In fact, they fail 9 times out of 10. All my toiletries, household cleaning products or cosmetics are vegan and cruelty free because I have a choice.
You do have a choice Olivia, you use the drugs or you don’t . I’d like to know if any of these protesters are willing to make the sacrifice.
If animal experiments worked the hospitals would be empty and quite clearly they are not. Drug companies are there for one reason and one reason only – to make money for their shareholders just like any other business. They need you and I sick as possible as there is no profit from healthy people. Drug companies create customers not cures…. Drugs are on the market in spite of animal testing and not because of it. The only way we know if a drug works is when it gets to human trials. How many drugs that could have helped humans have been lost due to failing in animals…
Animal testing has been very useful. Many things have been learnt from it and many vaccines developed.
Sounds like Marva Rees being Marva Rees.
96% of drugs fail at human trials after passing animal trials. The only way you know if a drug works on humans is when they take that drug. No animal is the same as a human.
Hey Linda, I’m not sure I agree with your comment about no animal is the same as a human.
My ex wife was a bit of an animal.
Oh Scot Chegg, did someone mention the word dog?