Animal Protection > Worldwide Actions > Russia

Activists blocked the entrance to Pavlov's Institute

On May 24 an action organized by Alliance for Animal Rights against cruel experiments on animals took place in St. Petersburg. The activists suddenly came up to the main entrance to the building of Pavlov's Institute of physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in dogs' and rabbits' masks and white "bloody" shirts. They lay down before the doors blocking a free passageway into building. Those who wanted to enter had to step over the animal defenders. Acting like suffering experimental animals the activists whined, squealed and howled, crying out "Don't kill us!" from time to time.

After lying on the steps for about 5 minutes they stood up and entered the building with a transparency "Stop experiments on animals!" In hall the guard was waiting for them and began to seize the activists and to try to push them to the exit. One of the activists fell down and was pulled to the exit by guard who then hitted his back by foot.

The journalists who were filming all that was happening were seized by the hands and weren't allowed to film, and someone even tried to pull out the camera and the microphone. Meanwhile the guard was calling police, shouting something loudly in the receiver.

The action was held in this place and on this day because today was opened conference, co-organizators of which are the representatives of the four scientific establishments, whose activity is connected with experiments on animals. When the activists leaved the building the representative of the institute direction came to the journalists, but he started with laying a claim to them, who allegedly did not have a license on a shooting.

All the activists leaved the place quietly. Nobody was arrested.

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Photo and the information in Russian is here: http://www.animalrights.ru/index.html?cmd[147]=x-150-8775

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