Anti-speciesists evacuated from the Micarna slaughterhouse in Courtepin (FR)

(Keystone-ATS) Fribourg police announced on Monday evening that they had dislodged around seventy anti-speciesist activists who had been occupying the Micarna poultry slaughterhouse in Courtepin (FR) since early in the morning. A criminal complaint has been filed.

Activists, some wearing balaclavas, had taken up position on the roof of the slaughterhouse and others were chained to machines inside the building. Activists from the 269 Libération Animale collective accuse Migros, of which Micarna is a subsidiary, of encouraging “a deadly system in which animals are seen as commodities.”

Unsuccessful negotiations

Following a criminal complaint filed by Migros, the police – present on the scene since the morning – were ordered to evacuate the site early in the afternoon. Shortly after 6:00 p.m., around seventy demonstrators, aged between 18 and over 60, were evacuated. The vast majority of them are of French or Italian origin and are domiciled abroad, the Fribourg police specified in a press release published in the evening.

The police arrested the activists after a phase of negotiations that did not succeed, the police said. Its spokesperson had described during the day a frozen situation with activists who refuse dialogue.

According to the police, the activists strongly resisted their arrest, which required the use of force. Two people, a woman who fainted and a man who was injured in the elbow, were taken to hospital.

After complying with the police measures, the alleged perpetrators were released. They will be reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. On the authorities’ side, nearly 200 officers from all departments were mobilized.

Migros does not communicate

When contacted, Migros said it was unable to comment on the matter. The police have “taken charge of the case” and any questions should be directed to them, said the company’s spokesman, Tristan Cerf.

Asked about the impact of this action on the poultry slaughterhouse, the spokesperson for the Fribourg police, Bertrand Ruffieux, estimated during the day that production on the site had not been paralyzed but had “undergone coercive measures”. He also said that malfunctions had been observed in the occupied sector of the factory.

The police specified in the evening that the production line concerned would be subject to checks by Micarna and validation by the Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs Service (SAAV). The resumption of activities should be possible by Tuesday. The potential damage from the blocking action could amount to several hundred thousand francs.

The criminal complaint was filed by Micarna for damage to property, trespassing and coercion. Through their actions, the activists kept animals alive in conditions that caused them unnecessary suffering over time, according to the police. The SAAV intervened to take charge of these animals and proceed to kill them, in accordance with the law.

“Release”

In a press release, the movement points out that the Courtepin slaughterhouse slaughters nearly 35 million chickens per year. It accuses Migros, “the largest advertising investor” in the country, of having “a particularly significant influence on consumption.”

For 269 Libération animale, Migros “has shown on many occasions that its profits are worth more than animal lives and the respect of employees. Its model of intensive breeding and production pollutes and degrades the environment, opposing the perspective of a society that produces its food in an ecological and sustainable way.”

The anti-speciesist movement, founded in France in 2016, is calling for 26 blockades of slaughterhouses in Europe, the occupation of the headquarters of major agri-food groups and the “liberation” of more than 3,800 animals.