funny that … when the “political will” is present, & most crucially – big business interests are behind it – it’s incredible how “effective” the law will suddenly become, bending, expanding, extending & calibrating to the task prescribed.

It will even “break itself” in order to deliver.

This mesmerising documentary captures one such stark example, concerning the absurd prosecution (a massive & blatant miscarriage/distortion of justice) of a group of genius, non-violent, animal rights protestors in the US (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty or SHAC).

Whilst the KKK have been bombing, murdering, kidnapping, raping & terrorising for decades as the USA’s most long running & prolific home grown terrorist phenomenon – without any counter terrorism campaign or even terrorist convictions – these “kids” ended up being prosecuted under “terrorism charges”.

Honestly, could there be a greater indictment on a country?

Could you possibly pervert & twist justice into a stronger obscenity?

They hastily concocted an outermost new law; the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.

the senate ended up ratifying the new “freak” legislation in the middle of the night, by unanimous consent, under an “obscure procedure” called “suspension of the rules” (seriously).

They also ended up putting together a “Joint Terrorism Task Force”, along with the FBI, federal agents & “other agencies”, to target the “non violent animal rights protestors”.

The eventual trial, is perhaps one of the best examples of a “rigged trial” available on record.

Farcical, but ferocious.

Later in the film, we are also shown some of the hidden camera footage that compelled the activists to act ….. it is some of the most disturbing, sick, & horrendous footage I have seen (& they must of limited it for the viability of this documentary). It’s not just the sadism, extreme cruelty & grotesque conditions & confinement, it’s super callous, perverse, pointless …. like some kind of Unit 731 event. It’s insane. It’s not standard, it’s not defensible.

The documentary is otherwise expertly edited, & we are given an array of extremely intimate & in-depth interview footage from the now free convicted SHAC members.

They are an astonishing group of people, lead by the electrifying Kevin Kjonaas.

Masses of old, early 00s video footage has been superbly assembled.

Also accounting to this shocking & largely hidden history is the lawyer & writer Will Potter, perhaps best known for his brilliant book Green is the New Red – An insider account of a social movement under siege (we reviewed it on this platform).

This documentary also shares a great deal of common ground with the excellent If a Tree Falls, which depicts almost exactly the same travesty of justice, this time against “non-violent” environmental protestors from the Earth Liberation Front.

Mammoth pluto-polluters, big oil, & mega corporations are again perverting the scales of law in a major offensive against growing anger, desperation & disbelief from citizens about unchecked contamination, pollution, extraction & global heating/climate crisis … & it’s not just in the US.

Obscene new “laws” have been fashioned under “big money” duress by craven governments, rather than them addressing the growing urgency of concerns & urge for action from their own alarmed citizenry & near-unanimous, professional environmental science consensus.

Here is a remarkable & hugely important feature that documents a distinct phase in this righteous struggle, & the admirable & frankly brilliant people that were involved in it.

Directed by Denis Henry Hennelly, Casey Suchan, Virgil Films, 2019