One Animal Rising protestor pleaded guilty at Worcester Crown Court yesterday to two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal damage, following a week of widespread protests against the dairy industry in 2022. A further six defendants will stand trial after pleading not guilty.
Seven supporters of Animal Rising appeared at Worcester Crown Court yesterday (25/11/24), accused of “conspiracy to commit criminal damage” among other charges following Animal Rising’s “Stop the Supply” Dairy Campaign during September 2022, in which Müller’s Droitwich site was blockaded by protestors [1].
One of the accused pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. Sentencing is scheduled for 6th January.
Six others stand accused of public nuisance and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. Two were additionally charged with having an article with intent to destroy or damage property, and one stands accused of common assault. All six pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their trial continues, and is expected to last three weeks.
The protest was part of a week of nationwide Animal Rising protests which saw dairy trucks immobilised and milk shortages on supermarket shelves [2] [3].
Earlier this year, campaigners were fined substantial amounts for conspiracy to commit criminal damage for actions taken at the Hatfield site of Arla Foods, as part of the same campaign. [4]
Rose Patterson, Animal Rising spokesperson, said:
“We are in a climate emergency, and animal agriculture is the leading contributor to climate change and Britain’s depleted biodiversity. We are calling for a move to a sustainable plant-based food system which would improve food security in the UK and reduce our environmental impact by up to 75 percent. It’s past time we ended this archaic system which causes needless suffering to millions of animals and is harming our planet beyond repair.”
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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[3] https://www.animalrising.org/post/update-arla-says-milk-shortages-in-supermarkets-are-inevitable