Anonymous for the Voiceless
 Anonymous for the Voiceless at a protest for veganism in the Netherlands, June 2018 | |
| Abbreviation | AV |
|---|---|
| Motto | animals, environment, health |
| Formation | 2016 |
| Type | Nonprofit Organisation |
| Purpose | Animal rights |
| Headquarters | Worldwide |
| Website | anonymousforthevoiceless.org |
Anonymous for the Voiceless (AV) are a grassroots animal rights organization specializing in street activism formed in April 2016 in Melbourne, Australia.[1][2] They hold Cube of Truth actions throughout hundreds of locations across the world, spreading awareness for veganism. It is not directly affiliated to the hacktivist group "Anonymous", despite the use of similar masks.
Influences[edit]
The joint founders, Asal Alamdari and Paul Bashir, cited a UK vegan activist group 'The Earthlings Experience'[3] as inspiration for their street actions, both in an online interview[4] and on the AV website,[5] which also cites the Martin Luther King quote:
Those who love peace must learn to organise as effectively as those who love war.
Cube of Truth[edit]
The approach used is done as "cubes", in which a group of black-clad people wearing Guy Fawkes masks form a square facing outward whilst holding signs and video screens showing footage of inside slaughterhouses, farms, and vivisection labs.[6][7] The cubes vary in size according to the number of activists or space.[1] Unmasked members of AV, known as "outreachers",[1] speak to people onlooking and encourage adopting a vegan lifestyle. The AV activists offer a 22-day vegan challenge called "Challenge 22" to onlookers who decide they want to take the option of a vegan diet.[2]
Actions[edit]
The Melbourne group's actions began in April 2016, to be followed by a Sydney group from November.[2] By June 2017, AV had carried out over 348 demonstrations globally, having convinced at least 12,144 bystanders "to take the needless violence in their diets and lifestyles seriously."[2] By now (May 2019) AV has over 1,000 chapters worldwide and has hosted over 14,000 events in 974 cities, having convinced more than 440,000 bystanders to "make the connection".
Cube actions are meant to be peaceful actions, in order to convince the greatest number of people.[8]
Organization[edit]
Anonymous for the Voiceless are a grassroots effort with no central organizing force beyond a website that links to each chapter and a series of Facebook groups that coordinate events.[7] There are over 800 chapters globally – to be considered an active chapter at least one Cube of Truth demo must be held a month, so there are estimated to be 9,600 of these cubes a year.[9]
Anonymous for the Voiceless holds an abolitionist stance on animal exploitation,[9] opposing all animal use by humans. Activists that bully or harass and do not comply with the group's principles are not permitted to carry the group's name.[9]
Paul Bashir and Asal Alamdari founded the original group in Melbourne,[2] also creating a nonprofit organisation,[10] although its headquarters are now in Chiang Mai, Thailand.[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d McCasker, Toby (31 January 2017). "'Cube of Truth': Anonymous hit streets with violent footage of animal farming". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Gregoire, Paul (3 June 2017). "Stop Animal Cruelty: An Interview with Anonymous for the Voiceless' Matt Stellino". Sydney Criminal Lawyers. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ Reilly, Nicholas (8 March 2016). "Masked animal rights activists show brutal slaughter footage to commuters". Metro. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ Mi, Dennis (9 August 2017). "I interviewed Asal and Paul from Anonymous for the Voiceless". Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "About Us". Anonymous for the Voiceless. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Anonymous for the Voiceless advocate vegan diets, animal rights". CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ a b Bregolisse, Doris Maria (15 August 2018). "Animal rights activists planning protest at Kelowna Ribfest launch and main event". globalnews.ca. Global News. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "'Diarrhea' - Animal activism unmasked". Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ a b c Haynes, Oliver (13 December 2018). "'Anonymous for the Voiceless'". The Ecologist. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "ACNC Lookup - Anonymous for the Voiceless". Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
External links[edit]
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