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  • Speak Protest: City of Animal Abuse

    - 4 years ago
    Oxford: City of Animal Abuse
    The last time I saw Mel Broughton protesting the Oxford Animal Lab as part of the SPEAK campaign was at the Martyr’s Memorial in July 2007. By December 2007 Broughton was remanded in custody facing charges of conspiracy to blackmail and the possession of incendiary devices. He faced a series of retrials before being sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2010 for conspiracy to commit arson. Broughton was released in 2013 after serving 5 yea…

  • SPEAK Protest: Pro-Test

    - 03 May 2020 - 1 comment
    SPEAK Protest: Pro-Test
    On 25th February the stakes in SPEAK‘ s campaign against the building of the new Oxford Animal Lab were raised. Four weeks earlier, 16 year old Laurie Pycroft had been shopping in Oxford when he witnessed a SPEAK protest and decided to stage one of his own in support of the lab with a couple of friends. They made some impromptu banners and began chanting, “Build the lab!” Nothing much came of his stand that day, but he decided to go home and write about his experience on his blog. His ac…

  • SPEAK Protest: Boycott Vodaphone

    - 03 May 2020
    Speak Protest
    This was the second SPEAK protest in Oxford city centre that I documented. A small gathering of people assembled to highlight their feelings that funding given to Oxford University by Vodaphone could help to fund the animal lab . SPEAK had other events planned across the city that day, but despite the relatvely small numbers of protesters here, the police presence remained strong and they filmed and photographed everything that happened at close proximity. The…

  • SPEAK Protest: Stop the Oxford Animal Lab

    - 26 Apr 2020
    Speak Rally
    Walking into Oxford city centre in January 2006 I began to notice a heavy police presence, roads had been closed and traffic diverted. Unsure what was going on I continued into town and soon realised that there was a demonstration organised by the animal rights group SPEAK about to begin. Intrigued by the situation, I had my camera in my bag and so decided to press on and see what was happening. SPEAK was formed out of the Stop Primate Experimentation a…

  • Don’t Attack Iraq

    - 26 Apr 2020
    Don't Attack Iraq
    In the wake of Alastair Campbells ‘ dodgy dossiers and on the brink of another war in the Persian Gulf, the anti war protest movement mobilised globally culminating in a coordinated day of protests in more than 600 cities across the world on 15th February 2003 . It has been described as the “ the largest protest event in human history” with estimates varying between 8 to 30 million participants. In London the figures given on the day range from 650,000 to a milli…

  • The Highest Level of Special

    - 08 Jun 2019
    Together Against Trump (UK State Visit)
    The 45th President’s state visit to the United Kingdom may have been controversial to many but it was convenient to some. Mixed in with the usual bizarre behaviour and the inevitable pomp and circumstance, the true agenda was never far from the surface. Trump's visit has conicided with a time of unique chaos and uncertainty in the UK. The Tory Party (and therefore the government) is still tearing itself…

  • The State We're In

    - 18 May 2019 - 1 comment
    David Cameron (Allegedly)
    The nature of politics and protest in the UK has changed beyond all recognition in recent years. The sweeping austerity measures presided over by David Cameron altered the face of the country and some might argue reinvigorated the left. Protests against the state of the nation became more commonplace and Cameron’s entitled background became a favourite target of his critics. As divisive as his time in office may have been, Cameron’s legacy is an even more deeply divided nation.…

  • Beacon Hill and it’s Environs

    - 11 May 2019
    Beacon Hill
    Beacon Hill near Kimble , Buckinghamshire has long been a place of interest for me. On the edge of the Chequers estate, skirted by the ancient Ridgeway, it is surrounded by sites and monuments from the more recent past, as well as those that predate history. Chequers has been a Prime Ministerial retreat since 1921, but the house has a long history. Lady Mary Grey (sister of Lady Jane Grey) spent two years under house arrest here at the the behest of Elizabeth I. Later the house fell in…