feds to crack down on animal rights extremists

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Legal/Regulatory News

Feds to crack down on animal rights extremists, prosecutor vows

By Gregerson on 3/23/2007 for Meatingplace.com

Federal prosecutor Solano, who once served in the Terrorism

Unit at the U.S. attorney's office, served notice to animal rights activists

that recent passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act means the federal

government has every intention of prosecuting activists who intimidate,

stalk and harass with the intention of shuttering farms, ranches, research

labs and other facilities that use and care for animals.

" First Amendment rights end when people cross the line from protest to

threatening and intimidating others in hopes of getting them to stop their

business or quit their jobs, " he said during a talk at the Animal

Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit in Arlington, Va .

Solano successfully tried one of the first cases under AETA. The case

involved an extremist group that terrorized an animal testing laboratory and

the pharmaceutical, financial and insurance companies with which it did

business.

Debbie Chikousky

Manitoba, Canada

gdchik@...