Activists Continue to ‘Storm the Courts’
The mission of the Animal Agriculture Alliance is to “safeguard the future of animal agriculture,” including working to expose those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation. When talking about these groups, we are talking about animal rights extremists. You may be familiar with other tactics you’ve seen activists using before to disrupt the supply chain and attempt to end animal agriculture. Things like “undercover video” campaigns, staging protests at grocery stores and posting graphic content on social media might be known to you, but I wanted to share a recent trend of court cases – and unfortunately, “wins” – involving animal rights extremists.
In October of 2022, activists affiliated with Direct Action Everywhere (DXE) – one of the most extreme groups we follow – went to trial in Utah after the theft of two piglets from a farm location several years earlier. Both defendants, Wayne Hsiung, DXE founder, and Paul Pickelsimer, DXE core team member, were found not guilty.
This verdict was surprising to members of the agricultural community as the charges seemed very straightforward. However, when jurors were interviewed after the fact, it was revealed that their decision was ultimately because they thought the defendants, “just looked to do what was right.”
Direct Action Everywhere claimed another “victory” recently when two activists, Alexandra Paul (former Baywatch actress) and Alicia Santurio, were found not guilty of stealing two chickens from a transport truck outside of a California processing plant in 2021.
DXE is calling this push for change a part of their “right to rescue” campaign. They claim these incidents are not thefts but rather “open rescues,” and the recent court outcomes help give them the right to enter farms and other locations to “rescue” animals that need saving. However, when we know that the goal of this group is “total animal liberation” – it can be understood that they believe all animals need to be “saved” from being raised for food, no matter how humanely they are treated. In a March blog post, DXE “lead organizer” Almira Tanner wrote, “we’re building a movement to win what animals really need: Rose’s Law, an Animal Bill of Rights. And it’s working.”
Tanner continued, “We have the momentum and we cannot stop now. 2023 will bring more open rescues, more bold actions, and more trials.” As these efforts continue, the Alliance will be closely tuning in, including the next similarly-focused trial happening soon in Sonoma County, California.
While the verdict has been in favor of the activists in these recent trials, it’s important to hear from the other side of the courtroom. The Merced County, California District Attorney (where the recent trial was held) put out a strong statement of opposition to the local press. In the Fresno Bee, the DA wrote that the activists employed a “mistake of law” defense, which means “they believed it was legal to steal the animals in this instance.”
She made her perspective clear, stating: “Now there should be no further mistake that this conduct is illegal and anyone who commits these acts will be prosecuted. They, and everyone who reads this, is now on notice that it is illegal to take animals from another person, farm, or place of business. Moving forward from this verdict, there should be no further mistakes or misunderstandings: if you steal animals in Merced County, regardless of your personal beliefs, you will be prosecuted for that conduct.”
As we watch the next trial in California play out, as well as another upcoming trial in Wisconsin and the appeal of a previous loss in North Carolina, it will be interesting to see if the DA’s words ring true.
More from Farm Journal's PORK:
Animal Activist and Former Baywatch Star Found Not Guilty in ‘Open Rescue’
