Protests start as animal rights activists charged with terrorism begin trial News
Protests start as animal rights activists charged with terrorism begin trial

[JURIST] About 70 animal rights protestors marched and chanted in protest outside a Trenton New Jersey courtroom Wednesday as the trial of seven activists charged with domestic terrorism began. The activists are all members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty [advocacy website], a group opposed to the animal testing practices of British company Huntingdon Life Sciences [corporate website] which has a laboratory in New Jersey. They are charged with committing vandalism and harassment, including posting personal information about Huntington employees on the internet. Under the federal Animal Enterprise Protection Act [text], their alleged crimes are a form of domestic terrorism; The trial is expected to last into August. A senior FBI official told the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in May that animal rights and other violent environmental groups like Stop Huntington had become the top domestic terror threat [JURIST report]. AP has more. In testimony to

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.