Jan 25 2009
Peaceful protesters arrested illegally in Baltimore
(Via Indymedia): Alarming news from Baltimore: On Friday Jan 23rd at about 7:45 pm three Baltimore animal rights activists were arrested while legally and peacefully protesting foie gras at The Intercontinental Hotel’s restaurant located in the Inner Harbor area. After about 30 minutes of protest that was legal and on public side walk. Police came from all angles in an “ambush” method, waving their billy clubs and using verbal threats to make the activists leave. Two activists who were peacefully asking why they had to leave were cuffed. Another protester who was just arriving on the scene was first threatened by police when they saw him taking pictures with his camera phone. He walked away as asked by police and was arrested after asking for a badge number.
Please call central booking of Baltimore to request that these activists be released and that they get vegan food. They are called Erin Marcus, Aaron Ross and Adam Ortberg. Central booking Number: (410) 545-8120.
Let’s hope that in the Obama era such heavy-handed displays of authority for the sake of cruel commerce will be clamped down on by the government.
Torture
Foie gras literally means “fatty liver” in French. To produce it, young ducks or geese have over four pounds of corn mush forced down their throats through a long metal pipe each day for two to three weeks until they can barely move and are on the verge of organ rupture and death. For a 150 pound human, this would be equivalent to 60 pounds of food per day. Foie gras production is banned in several countries and in the UK no supermarket chain sells it.
