The jury has been sent out. Now we wait.

When people ask me why we rescued the beagles openly - why we didn’t do it in secret, anonymously, the way some rescues happen - I want to be clear about something.

I believe rescuing those puppies was the right thing to do and we have nothing to hide.

Three years ago, myself and 17 other Animal Rising campaigners entered MBR Acres, a facility in Cambridgeshire that breeds beagles for animal testing laboratories, and rescued 18 puppies destined for experiments.

Because of that rescue, I am currently on trial for burglary, along with four other rescuers.

The jury in this trial has now been sent out. Next week, we expect to hear their verdict. This is the fourth of four trials related to that rescue. One final trial, concerning another rescue from MBR Acres, is still to come.

Animal Rising is rooted in the tradition of principled nonviolence - not as a tactic, but as a moral commitment that runs through everything we do. Like the civil rights activists who sat at segregated lunch counters, or Gandhi’s marchers who walked to the sea knowing they would be arrested, we believe that nonviolent direct action is essential for social progress to be made.

When we entered MBR Acres in December 2022 and rescued those beagles, we did not hide. We acted in the open, we identified ourselves, and we have stood in court to defend what we did and why. That accountability is what transforms an act of rescue into a moral argument, and what invites the public to ask whether the actions of the rescuers were moral and legal.

Nonviolence demands we hold ourselves to that standard: that we are willing to have our actions scrutinised, to stand in court and explain what we did and why, and to trust that truth, made visible, is more powerful than any prison sentence.

As I said in my closing statement, “we did this because there is a world we are trying to build - not a world without rules, but a world that lives up to the values we already hold.”

I believe there is something powerful about acting in the open, and this trial has highlighted the importance of open rescue.

What happens inside the walls of MBR Acres remained hidden for years. Secrecy protects the status quo. But openness and accountability - that changes things. It forces a choice on people. It says: Here is what is happening. Here are the dogs. Here are their cages. Here is the violence. Whose side are you on? Are you with the rescuers or with those who put dogs in cages?

That’s the world we’re trying to create. One where people see animals not as property to be used, but as beings worthy of rescue. One where moral clarity is unavoidable. One where you can’t look away.

The rescue wasn’t just about saving the 18 puppies we brought out that night. It was about showing people what’s possible. It was about saying: This doesn’t have to happen. We can do something about it.

I told the whole truth in court. I believe that when people hear that truth, they can only side with the animals.

I did this openly because I believe the animals deserve more. They deserve a world that sees them, that chooses them, that acts for them in the light, not in the shadows.

They deserve a world that says: We see you. We choose you. We will not look away.

In solidarity,

Rose

A note from Animal Rising

Our work is only possible because of your support.

Monthly donations allow us to support defendants in court, continue the campaign to close MBR Acres and free the beagles still inside, and sustain our wider work to end animal exploitation.

If you believe in this work, please consider becoming a monthly donor.

Become a monthly donor here.

You can also choose to “adopt a beagle”. By signing up to one of our adoption packs as a monthly donor, you’ll receive updates about the rescued puppies, an exclusive t-shirt, and more.

Adopt a beagle and become a monthly donor here.