It's a story that will sickenanybody who cares aboutanimals even a little.Anita Krajnc, a Canadian living in Toronto, is awaitingjudgement for giving water to thirsty pigs on their way to the slaughterhouse. The young woman faces six months of prison and a $5000 fine. The verdict of her trial will be announced on August 31.
Source : @Elli Garlin
The events date back to June 22 2015. On this day, Anita Krajnc and other lobbyists from the organisation Toronto Pig Save stopped a trucktransporting dozens of pigs for a few minutes, just enough time to give them a little comfort and some mouthfuls of water. The animals were clearly suffering, trappedin the boiling sun for hours with nothing to drink.
The Crime: CompassionBelieve it or not, the woman in this video, Anita Krajnc, is being criminally charged for this very incident, when she gave water to exhausted pigs during a scorching hot day in June this year.Yesterday was the first court appearance of the Toronto Pig Save co-founder. Here is the press release released by the organization:Compassion Isn’t CriminalAnimal Rights Activist to Appear in Court on Charges of Giving Water to Thirsty PigsOn October 14th, animal rights activist Anita Krajnc will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton, Ontario, on charges of criminal mischief and interference with property. These charges were filed after Ms. Krajnc offered water to overheated and thirsty pigs on board a transport truck outside Fearman’s Pork Inc. slaughterhouse in Burlington.Activists will hold a demonstration outside the Milton courthouse (491 Steeles Ave E) on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 8 am, the morning of Ms. Krajnc’s court appearance.Thousands of people across this country and across the world give water to thirsty animals every single day. From shop clerks offering water to thirsty dogs to homeowners providing birds with birdbaths.Yet over 8 million farmed animals die each year in this country as a direct result of our outdated transportation regulations. Canada has the worst transportation regulations in the Western World, worse than Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and the United States.“Offering water to a thirsty pig is an act of compassion. It is not only a right, but a duty we all share. Causing the pigs to suffer in the first place is what is wrong,” said Anita Krajnc, an organizer with Toronto Pig Save. “I face these criminal charges with dignity, knowing that truth and justice are on my side.”Ms. Krajnc is represented by counsel James Silver and Gary Grill.For more information, please contact: [email protected] by Best Video You Will Ever See on Thursday, October 15, 2015
Truckdriver and owner of the animals Eric Van Boekel informed the police, claiming the lobbyists' actions put their own safety in danger as well as the safety of the "goods".The next day, he filed a complaint against Anita Krajnc, resulting in her being charged with "criminal mischief" according to the law.
Source : @Jo-Anne McArthur
Krajnc's lawyer James Silver will attempt to prove that his client's actions were in fact the exact opposite of criminal, representing instead an act of kindness towards the desperate creatures. He explains to The Guardian:
The tack that we’ve taken recognizes that Anita hasn’t done anything wrong. Environmentally, that what she’s doing involves taking the moral high ground. Nutritionally, it’s the moral high ground. Cognitively, it’s the moral high ground.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=140&v=1VRZ08sblVw[/embed]The lawyer intends to show images of the kinds of horror animals suffer in industrial farms and slaughterhouses to demonstratethe importanceof Anita Krajnc's fight.The case has provoked huge outrage and the young woman has gained the support of animal lovers all over the world. The hashtag#CompassionIsNotACrimehas been widely shared over social media.
Source : @Toronto Pig Save
This trial re-opens the debate about our relationship toanimals. Mostly notably, it is putting into question the arbitrary distinction between "production animals" - those that we consider "goods" - and "domestic animals" that we think of as real members of the family.If Anita Krajnc had come to the rescue of a dehydrated dog in a car, or even broken into the vehicle to get him out of there, she would have been congratulated and branded a heroine.Sadly, in the eyes of the law in Canada and pretty much everywhere else, pigs are considered to simply be goods; property for us to use as we please.
Source : @Jo-Anne McArthur
"From my perspective, pigs are no different from children or dogs. Pigs are in no way, shape or form property”, concludes Anita Krajnc.Tosupport Anita Krajnc, you can sign this petition arguing thather show of compassion should not be considered a crime.Every week, the lobbyists of the organisation co-founded by Anita Krajnc, Toronto Pig Save, courageously stop pig trucks on the way tothe slaughterhouse to give them one last bit of relief in the form of some cuddles and a few dropsof water.Every intervention is streamed directly on the organisation's Facebook page, inspiring animal rights groups all over the world.
It's hard to believe that humanity supports this reality.Shameful. Outrageous. Inexcusable.Filmed this week by Toronto Pig Save.Posted by Best Video You Will Ever See on Friday, July 31, 2015
The legal process will continue in October and we will make sure to cover the outcome of the trial.Â
