Activist cleared as Oxford opens animals testing facility

November 23, 2008

Mel Broughton cleared of terrorism charges as bombing investigation hits a dead end!

Oxford Image: flikr.com

Demian HobbySunday 23 November 2008, The Journal Issue 14

As Oxford's controversial testing centre opened this month, an animal rights activist accused of carrying out arson attacks against an animal research laboratory as it was being constructed has been acquitted.

Mel Broughton, 48, a leading figure of animals rights group SPEAK, was charged with carrying out two arson attacks with home-made pipe bombs on the Oxford University buildings in November 2006.

The construction began in 2003 but was suspended for 16 months after threats from anti-vivisection groups forced the university to seek an injunction against protesters, in order to protect labourers and staff at the site.

The opening of the world class testing facility will see thousands of rats, mice, monkeys, ferrets and other species being experimented on as part of research into HIV, heart disease, Leukaemia and other forms of cancer.

Many activists, however, see this development as a serious breach of animal rights.

Michelle Thew of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection said: "Like the majority of the British public, I want to live in a world where no one wants or believes it's necessary to test on animals.

“It is therefore depressing that in a collective failure of imagination our leading institutions are choosing to repeat the failed patterns of the past, rather than investing in the future.

"Humanity will pay a high price until our public money goes into modern, humane, reliable, non-animal research to deliver cures for diseases."

Oxford University staff have begun moving batches of mice into the £18 million facility this month, with more animals to be introduced over the coming months.

Scientists argue that animal testing is the only way of conducting important research into world-wide diseases such as HIV.

Alastair Buchan, head of medical sciences at the university, said: "Unfortunately there is a tension, and there always will be a tension, between our needs and our patients' needs, and those who seek to protect animals from any form of harm.

"The reality for those of us who look after the sick and sadly the disabled, is that we cannot get away from our need for careful, well monitored and meticulously regulated use of animals for biomedical research."

Police and prosecuting authorities have expressed their disappointment with the Broughton verdict, and with no other suspects and no substantive leads, the investigation into the bombings has hit a dead end.