The Called Barry Horne: a call to action

Today's date, 05 November 2012, marks the eleventh anniversary of the death of Barry Horne, animal rights activist sentenced to 18 years in prison for his actions in favor of animal liberation who died in prison after his third hunger strike that lasted 68 days and called the attention of the British government to the election of exploited animals in laboratories

. His actions while incarcerated initiated a wave of actions by animal liberation activists and his memory inspires today.

In 03 November 2010, having already been incarcerated for 4 months awaiting trial, Jordan Halliday was sentenced to 10 months in prison for refusing to testify before facing a jury on direct action animal liberation occurred in the U.S.. In 25 October 2010, after a trial that lasted 3 days in British courts, 6 activists received sentences totaling 18 years for his involvement with the SHAC campaign (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty).

In 24 September 2010, activists VEDDAS officiated joining the SHAC campaign through a protest in front of a company that finances the largest vivisection lab in the world, a protest with the same contents and returned to the same targets by which these activists mentioned and many others have been convicted in the past and many more are being prosecuted or is serving a prison sentence. In 2008, this same campaign led 6 U.S. activists to prison with sentences totaling 23 years and the court ruled the ban on NGOs in the country. 10 Austrian activists arrested in May 2008 are being processed by the government of that country and the same goes for 12 Spanish activists detained in June 2011 whose charges are to do an efficient job of raising awareness for animal rights.

Barry Horne is an example of determination and dedication to animal cause and date of death should be remembered by all who fight for animal liberation, should not be remembered only as a date to mark something that happened in the past, for the repression of the animal rights movement and led to the imprisonment and death of Barry Horne increases every year in scale and intensity. In Brazil we enjoy some comfort in that aspect, but if we want to be an expressive movement and victorious, we should prepare to suffer the same degree of repression, because it is the expected consequence of a movement directed towards, due to its success, becomes a threat to the interests of those who profit from animal exploitation.

More than repression directed movement, intensifies every year exploitation of sentient animals, this operation which has the sole purpose of satisfying human curiosity and greed. More than dates, what our movement needs is more actions. Especially, needs more people working. If you are waiting for something to happen before you start acting, wake up to the fact that something is already happening. The proportion that reality does not allow us to look at it in a direct way, because the intensity of the horror cegaria. Therefore, many end up squinting her, turn away or limit their activities to the level of a "hobby" (is what I've been calling "hobbismo" as opposed to true activism), as those who want to want to believe that the problem is not so great. I copy below an excerpt from a letter he wrote from prison Barry Horne during his last hunger strike:

"It's always easier to see why we can not be successful, always easier to swing your shoulders and believe that the best we can do is try, almost as an act of consolation. Without believing in success, success becomes difficult to achieve, almost an impossibility. Just as animal liberation actually, [said to be] a concept impossible. However, know that it is not, or else what we're fighting? We should never fear the success of our actions or stop believing in it. And we should never fear to want to reach the stars, if this is accurate. […] how could we ask for less? Do this is to condemn so many animals to a life of suffering and death. Believe me, it is time to reach those stars and believe that this is possible. "

If you sensitize to learn the truth about animal exploitation, do more than raise awareness up. Mobilize the. Do not kid yourself telling that there are "others" doing something for them. The responsibility of this struggle is for all those who learned about the reality of animal exploitation. Keep inertia before the facts never depart the nuisance for which you aroused.

To express your commitment to the cause and their respect for those activists who go so far as to risk his life and freedom, you should get out of your comfort zone, in other words, do more than you already do, accept risks, exposing yourself, compromise-is. There are many ways that can be given to their activism, but for any one of them is a common condition: you get out of your comfort zone! This is an important factor for you to consider yourself an activist of fact. Were you in the place of animals victimized, you ask for anything less than the maximum that one can give (and the maximum is only possible by sacrificing some).

If you are in Sao Paulo, Christmas, Recife and Sorocaba, participating shares held weekly by VEDDAS and gain greater reach far more people to collaborate with them. If you are in another city, get involved with your local group, start your own group, give new color to their activism or offer their individual skills that can be used by groups, even if these are in cities far from their. If you can not do any of these things, donate a single value or monthly basis so that our actions may be maintained and expanded. Log in www.veddas.org.br / collaborate and see how easy it is to program a monthly donation that costs you only pennies a day and that makes all the difference to our work tirelessly to spread the seeds of awakening awareness about animal rights.

Put into perspective what is your comfort on the discomfort of billions of lives every year explored commit yourself to hold a job with dedication and sincerity, a commitment that should be up to the responsibility that you got when you become a witness to that for which others have not yet had the privilege of waking.

George Guimarães
VEDDAS - Ethical Vegetarianism, Defense of Animals and Society
www.veddas.org.br