The person that handed himself in after the (partially failed) arson at the slaughterhouse ‘’Duck-To Tomassen’’ in Ermelo, carries the name Peter Janssen.
Peter Janssen
With a long history in the animal liberation movement, Peter managed to get in the news many times. He gained international fame with his campaign against bullfighting in which he, his body decorated with slogans, enters arena’s to disrupt bullfights. These actions are being carried out under the name of the Vegan Strike Group.
He also leads a campaign against rabbit farms, for which he got convicted last week and ordered to pay a fine. Together with someone else he entered a rabbit farm to shoot images.
Investigation
According to his lawyer the action was carried out just by Peter, and he is fully cooperating with the investigation. At the moment the suspicion is ‘’arson with danger for goods’’. However, the public prosecution service does not exclude that this will be scaled up to ‘’arson with danger for people’’.
Arson
Last May 28th, a fire was started at the only duck slaughterhouse in the Netherlands. Five trucks were completely destroyed, but the slaughterhouse itself was left undamaged. The suspected individual set himself on fire by accident and left the scene in a hurry, leaving behind a car. After this he handed himself over to the authorities. At Het Vrije Dier a letter of responsibility was delivered (for English, click here), claiming the action under the banner of the Animal Liberation Front.
Het Vrije Dier published a background article on arson in the Netherlands, as part of the animal liberation movement. At the moment this article is only available in Dutch.