SHAC 6 convicted

The jury has returned a verdict of guilty on all charges against six animal rights activists who maintained a website protesting the abuse of animals as Huntingdon labs. Some defendants face up to twenty-three years in jail, but will likely get less. As detailed here, the defendants were the first charged under a law targeting aggressive AR action against animal exploiters. As all of the reports indicate, and as we've noted again and again, there was no proof that the defendants were directly responsible for any of the actions recounted by witnesses, which included property damage and threatening messages, only that they incited it. We continue to believe that some of the tactics recounted are too thuggish, but that the prosecution and convictions violated the First Amendment. That issue will be raised on appeal. The medical testing industry, in measured, unfrenzied tones, has used the occasion to recommend passage of bills directed at tertiary targeting. Does anyone feel a chill in here?