Animal protesters may target fish shops

Animal rights campaigners admitted yesterday that fish and chip shops may have become the latest "legitimate targets" for violent protests because of the "inhumane slaughter of fish".

Animal rights campaigners admitted yesterday that fish and chip shops may have become the latest "legitimate targets" for violent protests because of the "inhumane slaughter of fish".

The announcement by the Animal Liberation Front came after a letter bomb packed with nails exploded at a chip shop in Holywell, north Wales. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack which comes after a week of escalating violence which has seen homes and businesses across the country attacked.

Robin Webb, spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front, said: "Although fish and chip shops haven't been targeted before so far as I can remember, they would be considered legitimate targets.

"When one looks at the meat industry in this country, with red meat and white meat animals, there is what is supposed to be humane slaughter.

"With the fishing industry, there is no such thing.

"They are dragged out of the water into an alien environment in which they slowly die. There is no pretence of humane slaughter."

No one was injured in the latest attack which occurred at 9.40am yesterday when Jonathan Davies, owner of the Davies' chip shop, opened a brown envelope delivered by the local post office.

His father, Robert, who was not in the shop, said: "My son opened the letter casually but luckily he did it away from himself. He is very lucky to be alive. There were women and babies in the shop at the time, we were quite busy. It's amazing no one was hurt."

North Wales police are investigating a possible link with other attacks thought to have been carried out by animal rights extremists. On 31 December the daughter of the owner of a pest control company in Congleton, Cheshire, was hurt by a letter bomb.

A week later, a 58-year-old man suffered facial injuries when he opened a small package containing nails at his farm in Ripon, North Yorkshire, and a female member of staff at a farm in Patrington, Humberside, was hurt after opening a letter containing a small device.

Two days ago animal rights protesters set off a car bomb outside the home of a retired doctor, Richard Cockerill, 64, near Oxted, Surrey. No one was injured but two vehicles were damaged in the attack.

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