SHG Press Release - RSPCA ATTEMPTS TO CENSOR THE INTERNET AND SUPPRESS

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Fenris

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The Self Help Group for Farmers, Pet Owners and Others
Experiencing Difficulties with the RSPCA (The SHG)


Press Release
For Immediate Release
8th October 2009

RSPCA ATTEMPTS TO CENSOR THE INTERNET AND SUPPRESS CRITICISM

The German Shepherd Rescue network (“GSR”) has, during the course of a superb and highly-successful internet-based campaign, drawn international attention to the RSPCA’s hypocritical annual slaughter of many thousands of healthy dogs. The GSR campaign focuses on ten German Shepherd dogs (“GSDs”) who were slaughtered together in Pontadarwe in July this year by RSPCA inspectors using a captive bolt pistol.

The national outcry and response from the national media has been huge. The RSPCA seems to have lost patience. Nothing they have said or done has been able to stem the flow of criticism.

Things have now taken a darker tone. The charity’s highly-paid lawyers have written to Jayne Shenstone of the GSR in threatening tones.

They claim that the RSPCA owns the trade mark of the acronym RSPCA “in both upper and lower case”. Part of a communication from top RSPCA commercial lawyer Amanda Gibbs states:

"In the circumstances, please provide me, by no later than 5pm today with details of how and when you acquired the RSPCA's approval and permission to use the RSPCA's registered trade marks on your website and/or any publications associated with your company. If we do not hear from you, we will have no option but to assume that you do not have any such permission. When reconsidering the content of your website and publications, please note that the protection afforded by the trade mark registration process and the Trade Marks Act 1994 effectively covers the use of the RSPCA acronym in upper and lower case."

Facebook has also been the subject of RSPCA action to try to muzzle the complaints and are removing content critical of the charity which uses the acronym “RSPCA” having received a notice that the content “infringes their copyright(s).”

Anne Kasica of the SHG said:

"We know that the RSPCA threatens journalists, defence lawyers and veterinary surgeons. However, if the state of our law is now, as the RSPCA’s highly-paid lawyers claim, that one needs permission from the RSPCA to use the acronym ‘RSPCA’ then no criticism of this political and highly-secretive ‘charity’ will ever see the light of day. The acronym ‘RSPCA’ has been in public use for years and we believe that people will keep using it. To do otherwise would mean the end of the right to comment – there would be no more cartoons in your local paper, no more columns and no more internet blogs

"We think we have the freedom to make fair comment in the UK. Have we finally lost the right to freedom of speech to those organisations, like the RSPCA, with the financial clout to bully people like Jayne Shenstone into submission?”

The SHG’s Ernest Vine, invited people to go to the German Shepherd rescue site at http://germanshepherdrescue.co.uk/gsd-shot-by-rspca.html straight away and said:

"People should go there while they still can and see what the RSPCA did to those poor dogs.”

“Ask yourself whether this is really an issue about trademark infringement.”

“ The SHG is encouraging everyone to go to their MP or Assembly Member and raise these very serious issues. Do we really want so-called charities like the RSPCA to be completely immune from legitimate criticism?”

“We at the SHG have been demanding a full public inquiry into the RSPCA and their activities for years.”

Ends

Word Total: 543


Notes to Editors: -


1. The captive bolt is a slaughterer’s weapon, but it is not used to kill. It is used to stun animals before they are killed by “bleeding out” in the slaughterhouse.

2. It seems that captive bolts are now being used by RSPCA employees to “euthanize” animals which are rescued or which fome into its possesion when owners die.
3. It is not know how the GSD’s died, but RSPCA Headquarters confirmed in several releases that they all did and that captive bolts were used on all. It is not known how many times each animal had to be “bolted” before they were sufficiently stunned.

4. The SHG has previously highlighted rumours that the RSPCA was using the weapon to save money on the massive amount of killing that it does.

5. GSR is a network of over two hundred volunteers who specialise in rehoming GSDs – the RSPCA failed to contact any of them, or anyone they know, with a view to rehoming the dogs that were killed.


References:

BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | South West Wales | Row as dogs put down by ...

31 Aug 2009 ... eight RSPCA officers, a decision was made that the most humane form of euthanasia would be to use a captive bolt, said the spokesman. ...
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south.../8230378.stm

RSPCA puts down 10 German Shepherds with bolt gun - Telegraph

31 Aug 2009 ... An organisation which re-homes German Shepherd dogs has condemned the ... The RSPCA said relatives of the owner, who lived at Pontardawe, ...
www.telegraph.co.uk/.../RSPCA-puts-down-10-German-Shepherds-with-bolt-gun.html

RSPCA in bolt gun anger

A furious Jayne Shenstone of German Shepherd Rescue told us: 'There is a large .... to 10 German Shepherd dogs at an address in Pontardawe, in South Wales. ...
www.ourdogs.co.uk/News/2009/Sep2009/.../rspca.htm

The Self Help Group for Farmers, Pet Owners and Others ...
captive bolt pistols then they should make it quite clear ... A copy of this and previous press releases from The SHG are online ...
the-shg.org/30%20August%202009.pdf



Jayne Shenstone of German Shepherd Rescue can be contacted on 01568 797957

For further comment please contact
Anne Kasica on 01559 371031
Ernest Vine on 01559 370566.
Mobile 07719 367148.
e-mail: shg@the-shg.org

The SHG was officially formed in June 1990 and has been helping people
to defend themselves and their animals from the RSPCA ever since.

The national help line number is 0844 700 66 90

A copy of this and previous press releases from The SHG are online at
http://www.the-shg.org/SHGPressReleases.htm

Background information on the Self Help Group for Farmers Pet Owners and
Others Experiencing Difficulties with the RSPCA can be found at
http://www.the-shg.org

Details of further criticisms of the RSPCA can be found at the
RSPCA-Animadversion website:
http://cheetah.webtribe.net/~animadversion
 
The first action to take is obviously to starve them of funds and if one can't use the registered trade mark then we can't send them any funds can we!

In my case I only support smaller local animal charities anyway. That one who's name we can't use I believe has far too much money and power and should be boycotted.

And have they got a royal Patron...... If it's Prince Charles and he sees this stuff I fancy he's likely to get hold of someone by the short and curlys and horsewhip them! Queenie probably would as well!
 
Absolute drivel!

Any organisation will seek to prevent unauthorised use of their logo, this is perfectly standard and not indicative of any gagging action. The article is badly written, full of supposition and shockingly emotive without substance.

But no more than I would suspect from this sad group of individuals
 
Don "do" law so happy to be corrected,but surely the logo is the lettes ON the blue and white background-the letters alone are the short hand for their rather long name and in common use?

As a charity that takes peoples money to spend as it see's fit,it MUST be clear about where that money ends up AND answer questions/critasism about it's methods.
 
I am sure that they would be happy to answer questions about any incident if those questions were applied in the correct and civilised way NOT by mobbing facebook sites spreading rumour, supposition and being insulting to individuals, (which is why I believe some were blocked because of threatening behaviour/language). As far as where the money goes, I'm sure if you look at the annual books then it will be apparent where the money goes.... vets bills, diesel, legal expenses etc etc, this is a multi million pound charity because it takes millions to do as much as the rspca already do, which already isn't enough so by people starving them of money your stopping animal welfare continuing....

With regard to the captive bolt, I think this issue has been covered to death (excuse the pun!) on here and clearly it is a 50/50 split, just ask yourself if the rspca didn't have them who would be euthanasing all the deer, cows, sheep etc hit by cars???? Even the police firearms unit covers large areas and is usually too far away to do it? Vets, well you could call a vet out but who would pay???? Oh yes the rspca!!!!! And then alot of vets don't carry captive bolts or guns so the carcase would have to be removed, who's going to pay for the disposal of that???? oh the rspca????

People slate them but also rely on them heavily.... No other organisation does what the rspca does, no they aren't perfect, and do mess up sometimes but usually because they don't have enough resources to deal with all of what is asked of them......
 
Sorry to be nit picky but have you ever tried to get hold of the RSPCA in an emergency? You can't - either police end up contacting local vet and police pay or good citizen contacts local vet and either they offer to pay or vet pays. RSPCA not involved in emergency stuff - so shouldn't need captive bolt guns.

Doesn't matter how animal pts'd still needs collecting - still costs - and either police or local council pay. the RSPCA don't get involved.
 
Well I'm not sure where you are or what experience you may have had, BUT I can definately say that rspca are most definately involved in emergency call outs in one way or another, and do regularly deal with incidents such as I described.... The national line is open 24/7 and emergency calls are given to field staff who endevour to attend or arrange attendance of a vet or other resource.
 
No RSPCA attendance when a neighbour was cslled on to shoot a mare hit by a car locally recently. Police attendance yes but that was all. While the article is not good and I have no problem with the manner of the GSD death, I do feel that theRSPCA would have had more money at its disposal if it had not had such a 'voice' in the very political anti-hunt stance it took.
 
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