Sharp drop in UK animal extremist attacks

There were no assaults on the UK's animal researchers in 2006, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, while instances of property damage were also sharply reduced. The ABPI noted that this shows a sustained downward trend in violent and intimidating animal rights extremism after "encouraging figures reported in 2005." One effect of this can be observed in the sharp reduction in the number of firms and organizations being pressured into renouncing their involvement with animal research: 39 in 2006 compared with 103 for the previous year.

"Home visits," where large numbers of demonstrators gather outside a private residence and cause a civil disturbance, have fallen from a peak of 259 in 2003, to 57 in 2005 and 20 last year. The number of people attending peaceful demonstrations has not declined, providing credibility to the ABPI's claim that legislation to curb violent animal rights activism has not hampered legitimate freedom of speech and protest.

Philip Wright, the ABPI's science and technology director, said: "new legislation has helped, as has some significant arrests and sentences of leading extremists. These statistics show that extremist behavior has been curbed but not defeated and we have already had reports of further attacks in the first weeks of 2007."