After pleading guilty earlier this year to criminal damage and other charges following protests in 2022 where they poured out milk at Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges, two Animal Rising supporters have today been given community orders and costs at Southwark Crown Court.
Two supporters of Animal Rising were handed substantial community orders today (12/12/24) at Southwark Crown Court, having already pleaded guilty of causing criminal damage [1].
The pair took nonviolent direct action on 7/10/22 at Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges, emptying milk onto the floor in both shops. They were later arrested on 8/10/22 in Green Park, as hundreds of people gathered to peacefully march through Central London [2].
The actions were taken as part of Animal Rising’s (known then as Animal Rebellion) “Plant-Based Future” campaign in 2022, which aimed to disrupt the UK’s dairy industry and call on the British Government to commit to subsidising a transition to a safe and secure plant-based food system [3].
Just this month, members of the public have been pouring out milk themselves and threatening to boycott dairy products due to feed additive trials, as the industry attempts to bring their environmental impact under control [4].
Today, two supporters of Animal Rising have been sentenced to a combined 140 hours of unpaid work, 10 rehabilitation days, and costs and compensation totalling almost £2,000 by Judge Hiddleston. The pair had both pleaded guilty to multiple charges including committing criminal damage. One individual entered a guilty plea at a trial on 8/10/24 after being denied any legal defences, with the other entering a guilty plea before the trial started.
Sofia Fernandes Pontes, 28, a student, and one of those sentenced today said:
“I don’t want to see children stuck in a world full of suffering thanks to extreme weather, food shortages, and the destruction of nature. I want them to see a world full of wildlife, beauty, plentiful food, and clean water. Transitioning to a plant-based food system is absolutely essential if we want to see a better world for everyone, and we need to make sure that farmers are given adequate support to move into profitable and sustainable plant-based production. I really hope Steve Reed and Keir Starmer are aware of this fantastic solution that is available to them.”
This year, the latest audit of the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) revealed that plans for thriving plants and wildlife and clean air are deteriorating [5]. The biggest opportunity to improve the state of nature is to rapidly shift away from inefficient and harmful animal agriculture that displaces and threatens wildlife. In 2018, comprehensive research from the University of Oxford showed that 76% of the land currently used for food production would be freed-up by a global transition to plant-based production [6].
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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