3 activistes brutalisées dans un méga-poulailler

[Animal 0]

Voici la traduction française (2 articles en un) (p.s.: pour notre prochain bulletin)


États-Unis, 28 juillet 2005- Une tentative pour libérer des oiseaux d’un immense poulailler de Meredith, le “"Happy Hens Egg World” --- en français, le “Monde des Oeufs de Poules Heureuses” a échoué, alors que 3 activistes et membres de l’Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) ont été brutalisées. Ces trois femmes venaient tout juste de
sínfiltrèrent dans les hangars à poules, lorsque 7 travailleurs de la ferme les aperçurent et se rendirent sur les lieux à pieds ainsi qu’à bords de véhicules. Environ cinq minutes plus tard, sans avoir eu le temps de sauver un seul oiseau, les trois activistes s’apprêtaient à quitter les lieux, lorsque des policiers de Meredith, arrivèrent. Mlle Mark, en état de choc, a tenté de décrire aux policiers les évènements qui s’étaient déroulés à l’intérieur du hangar. « Nous nous apprêtions à quitter les lieux lorsque nous avons entendu la pauvre Deb hurler », dit-elle. « Nous ne savions pas ce qui s’était passé, mais elle avait été agressée… » Debra Tranter confirma qu’elle avait été brutalisée par l’un de ces hommes. « Il m’a empoignée par derrière et a violemment comprimé et tordu mes deux seins. » Quant à Mlles Mark et Moretti, elles furent poussées, jetées et traînées par terre à plusieurs reprises par les autres employés de la ferme. Les policiers ont pris des photos des blessures des activistes qui ont décidé de déposer une plainte contre l’employeur et les employés de cette ferme pour assaut sexuel et physique, en plus de cruauté envers les animaux.

L’ALV a mené 20 sauvetages sur cette propriété qui détient 320 000 poules, exposant à chaque fois, les cruautés horribles dont sont victimes ces oiseaux : Poules débecquetées, sans plumes, entassées dans de minuscules cages toutes rouillées et remplies de fumier, sans accès à de l’eau ou à de la nourriture.

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USA: Activists Sexually and Physically Assaulted During Battery Farm Raid
July 28, 2005

Contact:
Patty Mark (ALV President): 0417 396 236
Debra Tranter (Senior Campaigner): 0417 536 539

Meredith, Victoria - Three Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) activists today conducted a daring daylight raid at Happy Hens Egg World, in Meredith. ALV have conducted 20 rescues at the property, each time exposing horrific cruelty to animals.

After about ten rescues farm management began increasing security, with electrified fences and trained guard dogs patrolling the property, so that the factory farm is now a Dachau style concentration camp for the 220,000 battery hens caged there. The electrified fence gate is open during daylight hours for
worker access.

Prior to being assaulted, the three ALV investigators observed battery hens suffering severe feather loss crammed into rusty old cages. A number of birds were also observed in the manure pits, without access to food or water. After only five minutes of documenting these conditions, the women were set upon by seven farm employees who started physically assaulting them and pushing them along the length of the dirty shed covered in dust and cobwebs.

The women asked the men to please let them go as they were happy to leave the sheds. The violence escalated when one young man approached rescue team member Debra Tranter from behind and put his arms around her, grabbing and squeezing her breasts. Ms Tranter screamed and fell to the ground at which time she was grabbed by both her ankles and dragged along the filthy floor.

Police were called and took photographs of the injuries sustained by the rescue team members, and took their statements. The rescue team members are pressing for charges of sexual and physical assault, in addition to charges of cruelty to animals, to be laid against the farm and its employees.

Debra Tranter, a trained nurse and supervisor said outside the shed: "For eleven years I've been coming to these sheds to document the suffering of these birds. I've never been treated so violently. I kept pleading to these angry males to please let me go as I was quite happy to leave the sheds. I knew the hens were overcrowded and tormented in their tiny cages. But the aggressive treatment of me today by those in charge of these captive hens has only made me more determined to help them."

Patty Mark, ALV President, added: "The bruising and roughing up we received today, highlights the extreme peril these birds are in. Not only are they debeaked, featherless, and dying in tiny cages, but the only ones there for them day to day are these violent and abusive men. We've been campaigning against Happy Hens for eleven years and the sheds were worse than ever. Today the police told us that two weeks ago 70,000 birds died after a mechanical breakdown. This property requires urgent attention by legal authorities."

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United Poultry Concerns is a nonprofit organization that promotes the
compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl.
Source/ United Poultry Concerns
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USA- ASSAULT CLAIM: A distraught Patty Mark and Deb Tranter leave the Happy Hens Egg Farm after the animal liberation raid. Photo: MIKE DUGDALE

Mad scramble at egg farm `rescue'


ASSAULT CLAIM: A distraught Patty Mark and Deb Tranter leave the Happy Hens Egg Farm after the animal liberation raid. Photo: MIKE DUGDALE

Friday, July 29
PETER BEGG

AN attempt to ``rescue'' birds from Happy Hens egg farm at Meredith turned nasty yesterday, with three female Animal Liberation members claiming they were assaulted.

Animal Liberation Victoria president Patty Mark claimed the three were manhandled, and someone at the egg farm had grabbed one of the protesters on the breasts.

The three activists were dropped off outside the egg farm in Taylor's Road at 2pm, and were sighted by workers as they ran into sheds on the opposite side of the road.

Soon after the activists disappeared into the shed, egg farm workers on foot and in vehicles converged on the building.

At one stage Ms Mark telephoned the Advertiser from inside the shed: ``You better get over here 'cause it's getting ugly.''

The three protesters emerged from the shed after only a few minutes, but were unable to ``rescue'' any birds.

They were in the process of leaving the property when a police officer arrived from Meredith.

An hysterical Ms Mark tried to describe events in shed when she returned to the road.

``We were going, we just stopped to get our breath and get some water and all of a sudden poor Deb screamed,'' Ms Mark sobbed. ``I didn't know what had happened, but he assaulted her.''

Deb Tranter repeated the accusation: ``We were leaving and he assaulted me,'' she said.

``He grabbed both breasts from behind and he just squeezed.''

Ms Mark, 56, said she had a ``crook knee'' and she was repeatedly pushed.

The third protester, Ivana Moretti, said that of all the rescues Animal Liberation had done, she had never seen protesters manhandled as they were yesterday.

Ms Moretti said later, after being interviewed by police about the incident, that there had been seven men in the shed at the time.

Ms Mark, who said she expected to be jailed in September for non payment of fines for similar incidents at the same egg farm, said it was her first raid at Happy Hens for five years.

Happy Hens partner Guido Colla said after the raid it was the first time protesters had raided his property in broad daylight.

He said previous raids had taken place after dark, but the presence of dogs and an electrified fence appeared to have acted as a deterrent.

``We hurried them out of the shed and called the police and let them take care of it,'' Mr Colla said.

Ms Mark said yesterday's rescue was necessary because protesters had not been able to get in for an inspection because of the trained guard dogs and a high electrified fence.

``We're just going to get really cheeky and when the coast is clear we're just going to do a runner with the gates open,'' she said before the attempted rescue.

The Animal Liberation protesters later attended a meeting of Golden Plains Shire council, which was scheduled to discuss applications for broiler sheds at Lethbridge and Rokewood.

Ms Mark said she had never heard of such huge broiler sheds, each of which would hold 320,000 birds.

http://www.geelonginfo.com.au/readarticle.asp?articleid=16598