Chapter Sections
1. Steven Best
2. John Lawrence
3. Andrew Linzey
4. Richard Martin
5. The McLibel Two
6. Ingrid Newkirk
7. Jill Phipps
8. Henry Salt
9. Henry Spira
10. Peter Singer
11. Tom Regan
12. Richard D Ryder
How to Do Animal Rights - and Win the War on Animals
Jill Phipps was a British animal rights activist and veteran campaigner for animals; she was crushed under a transporter during a protest to stop the live export of calves. The calves were for export, due to fly from Coventry Airport to Amsterdam and thence to farms across Europe to make veal. Outside the airport a number of protesters broke through the police cordon intending to slow one of the trucks by chaining themselves to it. Phipps was caught under the truck's wheels. It snapped her spine.Phipps and other protesters had frequently burst through police lines on earlier days, but this day something went wrong. For lack of evidence the truck driver was not charged with manslaughter. Jill Phipps' family blame the police for keeping the animal transporters moving. Her mother said, "Whatever happened they were determined to keep the convoys going. They had no contingency plan for people running into the road." (1)
Phipps' death evoked widespread public sympathy and stirred fellow activists' resolve to keep up their protest against live animal exports. The exports from the airport eventually stopped when the aviation freight company went bankrupt (for background see Chapter 3: Direct Action, under The Battle of Brightlingsea).
The plaque on Jill Phipps' grave reads: 'Died as she lived fearlessly fighting for animals'. Her memorial web site states, "Jill is not a martyr, she is a hero and her actions will inspire and give courage to everyone who knew her and to many thousands of people who never met her."
References
(1) The Guardian. 5th February 2005.
| How to Do Animal Rights - and Win the War on Animals. © Roger (Ben) Panaman, April 2008. All rights reserved. |