On 28/8/24, five Animal Rising supporters were found guilty of criminal damage at Southwark Crown Court following a five-day trial.
The group poured non-toxic and eco-friendly red dye into the fountain outside Buckingham Palace on 26/8/21 in a protest against use of crown land for hunting and animal agriculture [1].
Three of the group (Riley, Claire and Louis) received a unanimous verdict whilst the other two (Rachel and Chris) received a majority verdict.
They were all granted bail to return for sentencing on 18/10/24 from Judge Perrins.
After a much delayed trial, five individuals were found guilty today of criminal damage at Southwark Crown Court after pouring dye into the fountain outside Buckingham Palace on 26th August 2021. They will be sentenced on 18th October back at Southwark. The action came after a report had recently found that “The Queen’s lawyers secretly lobbied Scottish ministers to change a draft law to exempt her private land from a major initiative to cut carbon emissions.” [1] Animal Rising has said their actions “helped shine the spotlight onto the royal’s support of hunting, racing, the fur trade, and law exemptions whilst the rest of us fight for a liveable future.”
Louis McKechnie, 23, one of those convicted, said:
“The result in court today wasn’t ideal, but it was expected. The justice system in this country isn’t actually organised around actual justice, it’s organised around continuation of the status quo. It’s insane to me that three years have passed since the protest and in that time we’ve had 40 degree heatwaves but no discernable action from our government. We have no choice but to keep going until we get a plant-based food system, anything else would be a betrayal of our generations and the generations to come.”
Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.
ENDS
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