Novartis CEO Family Grave Attacked a 2nd Time; Targets Listed on Animal Rights Site
Another grave belonging to a family member of Novartis CEO Daniel Vasella has been desecrated, just days after his mother's ashes were stolen. The move comes in the same week that Vasella's Austrian hunting lodge was torched. Reuters:
Vandals sprayed a Vasella family gravestone with the slogan "Drop HLS Now", police said, a reference to the British animal-testing laboratory Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) that has been a major target for protests by animal rights activists.
They also stuck two wooden crosses in the ground, the spokesman said. He declined to confirm Swiss media reports the crosses carried the names of the Novartis CEO and his wife.Drug company employees who think these actions are one-off occurences may want to check the web site Bite Back, where the animal rights movement documents its actions -- often with photos (images on this page taken from Bite Back). Here's a list of recent actions against pharmaceutical targets.
Arson attack on Novartis CEO's vacation home: "There is also a large garage, that we guess holds the car that picks him up from the neighboring town (the rich scumbag flies in on his personal helicopter!) You could tell it was his house from a distance - the skulls of deer we saw hanging from the walls outside and inside only made us more determined. 60 litres of petrol was concentrated in two places around the house ..."
'SANDOZ KILLS DOGS' painted on a trading estate's main entrance sign: "Let this serve as a warning Novartis, whilst you collaborate with HLS, you and your subsidiary companies remain priority global targets. The ALF is watching you."
Paint attack on home of Pfizer France CEO Louis Couillard: "'PFIZER DROP HLS', 'COUILLARD SCUM' and 'FMAH' was painted with red paint on your house and sidewalk. How do you like the messages we left over your fancy house? Shame neither cops near your street or your job could protect your house. You're just lucky it wasn't worse for you Pfizer scum!"
Car bombs targeted at Novartis director: "Three incendiary devices under the three cars of Bruno Heynen, Board of Directors of Novartis. Dealing with HLS means dealing with us! For the animals, for the earth Animal Liberation Brigade."
Schering-Plough Belgium general manager Geri Brouwers' car torched: "we blew up the car that was there (you might as well give up trying to sell it, we don't think it's worth much now) and set fire to the tidy front hedge that blocks your drive from the road. That can serve as a lasting reminder. Don't think you can escape by hiding you fucking dirt bastard, this ends on our terms. FUCK HLS. The Militant Forces Against Huntingdon Life Sciences."
Paint attack on German Novartis exec Peter Hagmann: "We think that responsibility of murdering animals is keeping Peter Hagmann awake at night. While we were painting his house and garden at 1.30am he heard us and banged his window. Good boy keeping Karin safe at night. It will not be difficult for us to return to finish the job properly next time... Sever your links with HLS.
These are just the tip of the iceberg. GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble and others are also mentioned. Here's a particularly detailed account of an attack on Bayer and Novartis execs all in one night. And these are just from this year.
The Wall Street Journal also has a report.