SPEAK founder Mel Broughton to stand trial

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Hmmm. Doesn't say anywhere that they actually found the bombs in his possession. Can you say "scapegoat"? Trial of leading animal rights activist to begin in June>> Mel Broughton, a Speak animal rights campaigner, will stand trialfrom 2> June accused of offences against Oxford University.> >Broughton was arrested in November 2007 following a policeinvestigation> into a fire at Queens College sports pavilion theprevious year, and the> discovery of improvised explosive devicesat Templeton College in> February 2007.> > A police statementsaid that he has been charged with, “two counts of> possessing orcontrolling explosives with intent to endanger life or> injureproperty and two counts of having an article with intent to>destroy or damage property.”> > Broughton, 47, is one of thefounding members

of Speak, which has> protested against therecently-opened animal testing centre on South> Parks Road for anumber of years.> > In November 2006 fire-fighters spent an hourputting out the blaze in> the roof of Queen’s College sportspavilion. Bomb disposal experts were> brought in after thediscovery of devices at Templeton College in 2007.>> Speak claims that it aims to “[challenge] the government… to>accountability and openness.” The use of violent terminology todescribe> animal rights activists is, it says, an attempt “todivert attention> from the real perpetrators of violence who thusbecome the implied victims.”>> In 2005 Robert Cogswell, a Speak spokesman, told This isOxfordshire: > “We do not condone the ALF’s actions but we do notcondemn them either.”>> Speak continue to hold frequent marches through Oxford and remainvocal> about their opposition to

the University’s policies onanimal testing> for biomedical research. They also protest onBroad Street at University> degree days.>> The group grew out of the success of ‘Stop PrimateExperimentation at> Cambridge’ (SPEAC) which stopped theconstruction of the Huntington Life> Sciences Laboratory in2004.>> Pro-Test was formed in January 2006 in an effort to counter theviews of> SPEAK and defend the advantages of using animals forbiomedical> development projects.>____________ _________ _________ _________ ____________________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _http://clk.atdmt. com/UKM/go/ msnnkmgl00100000 09ukm/direct/ 01/ http://pets.Fortheanimals7/join http://www.myspace.com/fortheanimals7