The system is designed to protect the animal agriculture industry and let animal farms like Excelsior continue their abusive practices with impunity. We’re here to say, 'Enough is enough!'
Abbotsford, BC – Two animal activists—Amy Soranno and Nick
Schafer—were each sentenced to 30 days in jail. Soranno and Schafer,
who were convicted at trial in July of one count of break-and-enter
and mischief for their role in exposing animal cruelty at Excelsior
Hog Farm, will begin their sentence on October 21 at the Okanagan
Corrections Centre. Both were also sentenced to a year probation and
a prohibition on making contact with Excelsior, its owners, or any
animal farm during this period.
Soranno and Schafer are appealing their conviction and sentence.
Their legal counsel will also be filing an application for bail
pending appeal. If the bail application is granted by the BC Court
of Appeal, Soranno and Schafer may have their sentence deferred
until after the appeal is heard.
Soranno and Schafer were arrested in 2019 along with Roy Sasano and
Geoff Regier, who together are known as the Excelsior 4. All four
were arrested in 2019 following a mass protest at the Abbotsford hog
farm and charged with more than 20 indictable offences. All of
Regier's charges were dropped after a pretrial hearing in May, and
Sasano was acquitted at trial.
During the trial, BC Supreme Court Justice Frits Verhoeven blocked
the defence from showing the jury any of the video footage of animal
cruelty at Excelsior, including the footage the activists were
accused of exposing. Justice Verhoeven also prevented the defence
from arguing the hog farm had engaged in unlawful animal abuse, the
reason for their acts civil disobedience.
During the sentencing hearing in August—normally a time when
defendants can make statements to the court—Justice Verhoeven
refused to allow Soranno to talk about the animals inside the hog
farm or to make a statement explaining why she engaged in civil
disobedience that day. The statement that Soranno was prevented from
making in court can be read here:
https://excelsior4.org/amystatement.
"This case shows in stark terms the utter failure of the animal
agriculture industry and law enforcement to protect farmed animals
from abuse," said acquitted Excelsior 4 defendant Roy Sasano. "The
Crown is more interested in criminalizing and jailing nonviolent
activists than holding animal abusers accountable." Excelsior Hog
Farm has never had to answer for its well-documented criminal animal
cruelty.
The Excelsior 4 case is rife with official negligence and
misconduct. The Abbotsford police lost important video evidence and
destroyed multiple cameras found inside the hog farm, which formed
the basis of the break-and-enter charges. Instead of recommending
charges against Excelsior after being provided ample video evidence
of animal cruelty, the BCSPCA turned Regier—a whistleblower—over to
police, in violation of its confidentiality policy. And, the Crown
withheld key evidence until the trial, putting the defence at a
considerable disadvantage.
Soon after Soranno and Schafer were sentenced, dozens of supporters
staged a peaceful protest at Excelsior Hog Farm in an effort to keep
attention on the animal cruelty that activists argue should have
been the focus of this case.
"With nonviolent activists being sent to jail for exposing animal cruelty, the priorities of government and industry are clear," said Zoe Peled, a supporter of the Excelsior 4. "The system is designed to protect the animal agriculture industry and let animal farms like Excelsior continue their abusive practices with impunity. We’re here to say, 'Enough is enough!'"