Leah Doellinger: We don’t hide our identity because we don’t consider ourselves criminals. There is self gain in most crime, but what we do, there’s no self gain. We do it for the animals.
NICK WIGHAM: ‘As Australian states look to crack down on animal activists with harsher penalties and the threat of jail time, Leah Doellinger remains undeterred. In a bid to expose what she sees as the inhumane conditions involved in factory farming, she leads large groups of activists onto Australian farms in order to raise awareness by posting videos online, and occasionally “rescue” the odd animal.
It’s a preoccupation that has, she says, landed her in trouble with the authorities on many occasions. “I’ve been charged 22 times since the end of 2017,” she told Yahoo News Australia. After a November visit to a Queensland piggery, Ms Doellinger and a handful of her friends were later charged with trespassing and stealing six piglets from a Cameron Pastoral Company’s property…
Ms Doellinger organises trespassing events dubbed ‘Meat the Victims’ which involve large groups of activists who descend upon animal farms to film inside. “I take people into these farms to show them exactly what is happening so we can gain the footage and share it with the public,” she explained. Despite the illegality, sharing the images on social media is part of “the big picture” of those involved in the activism…
Ms Doellinger started her activism in 2016 by attending vigil events and soon after began doing her “own rescues,” she said. “We called them open rescues where you don’t wear a balaclava and don’t hide your identity because we don’t consider ourselves criminals. “There is self gain in most crime, but what we do, there’s no self gain. We do it for the animals”.’ SOURCE…
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