# Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far



## JonnyNothings (Apr 6, 2011)

New legislation proposed in Minnesota attempts to crack down on activists who have exposed repeated animal welfare violations. Among its provisions, the bill targets anyone who documents an â€œimage or soundâ€ of animal suffering in a sweeping list of â€œanimal facilities,â€ including factory farms, animal experimentation labs, and puppy mills.

But House File No. 1369 doesnâ€™t stop there. The bill, introduced by six Republicans, also includes a number of other provisions that have popped up in â€œeco-terrorismâ€ bills and â€œanimal enterprise terrorismâ€ laws over the years. Similar legislation has also been introduced in Florida and Iowa to target undercover investigators.

The Minnesota bill includes a number of dangerous parts. Among the most important:

â€œ*Animal facility interference*.â€ 
This provision targets those who, without the ownerâ€™s consent, â€œproduce a record which reproduces an image or sound occurring at the animal facility.â€ Even worse, it targets those who â€œpossess or distribute a record which produces an image or sound occurring at the animal facility.â€ In other words, these Republicans are not only targeting anyone who exposes abuses in these facilities, but anyone who distributes that information (presumably via DVD, or potentially YouTube videos). This is listed as a gross misdemeanor.

â€œ*Animal facility tampering*.â€ 
This provision targets those who take animals from these facilities. That, of course, is already a crime. But those provision also goes further, and includes â€œdisruptingâ€ the operations of such a facility. This kind of vague, overly broad language has also appeared in federal laws like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. People have a right to know what, exactly, is a crime; vague language like this has a chilling effect on lawful activism, and can be misused by an ambitious prosecutor. This is listed as a felony.

â€œ*Animal facility fraud*.â€
This provision specifically targets undercover investigators and whistleblowers. It targets those who obtain access to an animal facility by â€œfalse pretenseâ€ (such as a false name on a job application, in order to document abuses). This is listed as a gross misdemeanor.
The bill also includes parallel provisions for â€œcrop operation interference,â€ â€œcrop operation tampering,â€ and â€œcrop operation fraud.â€

All of this, of course, is part of a continued campaign by these corporations, and the politicians who represent them, to attack and silence their opponents. Groups like Mercy For Animals, PETA, Compassion Over Killing, and the Humane Society have repeatedly exposed systemic animal welfare violations in factory farms and other facilities. When people learn want goes on in these facilities, and see for themselves, they change what they buy. Itâ€™s a serious and effective threat to corporate profits.

Not surprisingly, this bill includes provisions for civil recovery and equitable relief, so that corporations can force activists to compensate them for any revenue lost due to the exposure of their violence.

If youâ€™d like to voice your concern to the supporters of this bill:

Dean Urdahl (R), 651-296-4344, [email protected]
Paul Anderson (R), 651-296-4317, [email protected]
Tony Cornish (R), 651-296-4240, [email protected]
Greg Davids (R), 651-296-9278, [email protected]
Bob Dettmer (R), 651-296-4124, [email protected]
Rod Hamilton (R), 651-296-5373, [email protected]


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## AnarchistRon (Apr 6, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*

Would you mind if I copied this post in anther forum? If you wish i'll provide your screen name when quoting, or I could leave it anonymous.


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## FigTree (Apr 6, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*

i can't think of any way to actually retaliate. any ideas? i'd say burn the factory down but that kinda backfires. hm. fucking disgusting. my mind is so blown right now.


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## FigTree (Apr 6, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*

*factories


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## Traveler (Apr 6, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*

This sort of legislation is extremely disturbing....


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## FigTree (Apr 6, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*

money money money. humanity is such a filthy race.


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## Wolf (Apr 6, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*

Wow, I wish the cows would just rise up, skinny little cowboy won't win a fight with a hoard of bulls.


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## AnarchistRon (Apr 7, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*



Wolf said:


> Wow, I wish the cows would just rise up, skinny little cowboy won't win a fight with a hoard of bulls.



HAhaha! Those goddamn cattle will rise up sooner then the human sheep!


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## trotsky (Apr 14, 2011)

*Minnesota Bill Targets Anyone Who Exposes an â€œImage or Soundâ€ of Animal Suffering at Factory Far*

fuck peta really, but it's times like this when the anonymity of the internet comes into good use!
said recordings can be released online without much fear of retaliation, while also exposing them to a larger audience. I feel like this law could get overturned pretty quickly if there was a highly publicized case.


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