The BBC’s science and technology magazine Focus has a feature on the “most dangerous jobs in the world.” They include HazMat teams, snake venom farmers, vulcanologists—and animal researchers. From the story (no link available) that includes what has happened to our friend and co-author of The Animal Research War, P. Michael Conn:
While most animal rights activists campaign against testing peacefully, extremist factions use intimidation tactics to scare scientists into stopping their research. Mlchael Conn, whose includes research on primates, got first-hand experience when he attended a job interview at the University of South Florida (USF). Alter an online posting stated that “killing a vivisectionist is justifiable,” he was met at the airport by extremists wearing a t-shirts which read, “KEEP PRIMATE TESTER DR PM CONN OUT OF USF.” Conn’s interview was constantly disrupted, prompting the institution to assign an armed police officer for his protection…
Such incidents are far from isolated. In the late 1990s, at the height of UK extremism, the highest profile victim was Prof Colin Blakemore. then head of the Medical Research Council. On one occasion he received a letter “dirty bomb” containing needles infected with HIV-addressed to his children.
Apologists for animal rights terrorists have written to SHS claiming that children are never the targets. As we see from this report, that assertion is blatantly false.
The only way animal rights terrorism will stop is if the movement’s supporters understand that the credibility of their entire cause is threatened by such tactics. But most people still don’t know about it and certainly have not been aroused to sufficiently righteous anger to make the PETA types worry about being totally discredited for the actions of their violent brethren. Alas, until and unless the media focus on this as they did (appropriately) the violence directed against abortion doctors and clinics—there is little chance that the terrorism will stop.
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