1 week, 4 harrasments of activisits

The passing week concludes unprecedented strong arm tactics used in aim to shut the campaign against the opening of vivisection lab in the Tel Aviv - Jaffa Academic College. The college's attempts to shut us up have been well recognized throughout the past months with un-proportional police presence in demos (which meet with all legal standards since they are considered to be 'vigils'); police brutality, falls arrests and detaining activists for interrogations; and the prosecution of the college and 3 of its key position holders against 4 activists.

Whether caused by fear of the campaign, or just plain bullying, the last week set a few records in the scare plan:

1. Friday, June 16th: 2 activists were illegally detained at the end of another home demo in front of the college's president, Nehemya Friedland, in the city of Kfar Saba. The police showed up with large numbers at the demo (5 police cars including CSI who took pictures of all 12 protestors) but did not address the protestors with any demand except for writing their i.d numbers (and showing them to Tova Friendland). In the police tation, the 2 were asked to sign for being banned from Friedland's house for 2 years (!), even though the maximum amount of days the police can sign you at the station is 15. After the activists refused to sign these illegal release terms they ere threatened with arrest but finally released after signing for 7 day.

2. Sunday night, june 18th-19th: A family of an activist from Giva'ta'im (a neighboring city with Tel Aviv) faced intimidations and scaring from 6 cops, 2 of them in civilian clothes, from the Kfar Saba police station .The police showed up at her house at 1:30 at night, in order to take her for interrogation without presenting any warrant or a cause. The cops yelled, mocked and threatened the activist's family members with arrests, openings of criminal records against them and taking them to the police station while they are handcuffed. When the cops were asked about an arrest or search warrant, they replied and said they don't need warrants, and that it is their right to take any person at any hour - an intimidation that has no legal ground. When the family members called a lawyer the cops blamed them of intervening with police procedure and claimed it was illegal. When the cops were asked to let the people, still wearing sleeping clothes, get dressed for a few minutes, one of the cops told them to leave the door open Only some of the cops agreed to identify themselves and did that by shoving police i.d's at their faces. The cops refused to leave also after the Kfar Saba police station's interrogations officer told them to leave an invitation to interrogation and leave.

The cops finally left at 2:30 a.m., an hour after showing up, leaving the activist an invitation for interrogation for the following morning. When the activist called the police station in the morning to set a more convenient time for the interrogation, they didn't know what she was talking about and didn't call her back she left them a message.

This late night harassment was meant to scare and intimidate the activist and others from continuing the campaign. It seems that there is a use and a link of the police by well connected people with political and economical influence, with interests to stop the campaign.

It is the first time such intimidation tactics are used by the police against animal rights campaigners in Israel.

3. Thursday, june 22nd: Despite the activist attempts to coordinate her arriving for interrogation, the police did not return her calls for 3 days. Instead, a police car came to her house and took her to Kfar Saba police station for interrogation as she was ready to leave to the airport for a few days' trip. After several hours of pressure by an attorney and the family, the police released her without interrogating her, just on time to catch the flight and after having her sign that she will show up for interrogation on the day she returns. It is important to say that usually people who are wanted for interrogation and don't have an arrest warrant against them receive an invitation in the mail and don't have the police showing up at their house.

4. Again, Thursday, June 22nd: An expansion to the prosecution that was issued on May 7th by the Tel Aviv - Jaffa Academic College and 3 of its position holders (among them billionaire zohar zisapel, current chairman of the governing council of the college, and CO of RAD company which donates to the college) against 4 activists for an injunction on home demos and censoring Sogrot's website.

In their attempt to postpone the first hearing so they could be represented by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the 4 defendants were forced by the judge to give up their right to participate in the demos in front of the plaintiffs' houses. The 4 now received an invitation to court for next week, charging them with court contempt. The college claims the 4 with involvement with home demos against the plaintiffs, even though they did not participate in any of them since that court decision.

In addition, 3 other activists are now also charged with court contempt for participating in a home demo on june 16th, even though the court decision does not refer to them! In addition, only 2 of them were actually in the demo, but that didn't bother the college president, Nehmya Friedland, who lied in his statement to the court.