Freedom of Species

The recent snap lockdown in Melbourne provided a good opportunity for Trev and Davita to stay put and review what has happened in the past months in the animal advocacy world. Listen in to the Freedom of Species News Show for current events in Melbourne and Victoria’s activism groups, international activism, legislation and culture and media.  And please donate to our radiothon campaign, to keep F...

This show features the talk 'Anti-speciesism and the Fight for Global Climate Justice' by Harley and Jam from Animal Rebellion. The talk covers speciesism (discrimination based on species) and connections to other issues such as capitalism, colonisation and racism.  Links: Check out the video of the full talk on Animal Rebellion’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMBWOUnuicQ&ab_cha...

This show features Harley McDonald-Eckersall from Animal Rebellion on the role of individual veganism and system change within the animal movement.  Links for the show: Find out more about Animal Rebellion here: https://animalrebellion.org/ This show builds on the themes covered on our previous episode: 1 in 3 People Support Plant-Based Diets – Progress for the Vegan Movement! https://www.3cr.org....

We speak with researcher and author Dr Peter Li from the University of Houston-Downtown. Peter specialises in East Asian Politics whose research covers elite politics of China, Northeast Asian security, U.S.-China relations and China’s environmental and animal welfare politics. He also consults international animal welfare organizations. In march 2021, Peter published the book ‘Animal Welfare in C...

 Relisten to this show for a reflection on animal liberation, total liberation and the use of both legal and illegal direct actions. Trev and Davita are joined over zoom by Kevin Heller. Kevin used to be part of the support group of the Animal Liberation Front in the Netherlands and Belgium. We discuss the context and strategies of these actions in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, and how anti...

Action for Dolphins campaigns to protect dolphins all around the world. We speak with Action for Dolphins CEO, Hannah Tait, about the risks faced by dolphins, the projects the organisation is working on and their past successes. You can learn more about Action for Dolphins and support their work through their website: https://www.afd.org.au/ During the show we showcased the Australian band, Grey W...

We speak with Dr Ash Nayate, clinical neuropsychologist, author and speaker about her book Staying Positive in a F*cked Up World, animal rights activism and activist burnout. You can find Ash on Facebook at Vegan Neurospychologist.  Adam mentions a related book Motivational Methods for Vegan Advocacy by Dr Casey T. Taft. We play music by Katie White, a West Australian singer songwriter turn vegan...

We discuss the recently release netflix documentary, Seaspiracy, with Bronwyn the organiser of advocacy group Melbourne Fish Save. We identify the good parts, some bad parts and some missed opportunities within the documentary. If you care about fish and want to get active to support them please consider joining Melbourne Fish Save, or your local fish advocacy group.

Davita and Trev fact check arguments for and against veganism in this show, related to health, ethics and the environment. We do not support an uncritical adoption of a vegan diet, so that's why often heard arguments within the vegan movement will be scrutinized too. Some of the arguments we discuss include: "It's natural for us to eat animals" - major red flags! What is this 'appeal to nature' ar...

This show features animal activist and lawyer Katie Batty on the UN Global Climate Poll and particularly the level of support for a plant-based food system. She argues that half the battle is nearly won when it comes to promoting veganism, with this UN Poll, the biggest ever opinion poll on climate change, finding that 30% of people support the promotion of plant-based diets. This, along with othe...

We speak with Dr Chris Hopwood, Professor of Psychology from University of California, Davis. Chris is an excellent and prolific psychology researcher asking the question, “why do people do the things they do?”; with an interest, among others, about why some people eat animals and others are vegetarian or vegan. Chris is also an organiser of the PHAIR Society (Society for the Psychology of Human-A...

Davita and Trev discuss the recent controversies with social media influencers in the animal rights movement, ranging from transphobia, to anti-semitism, and dodgy donations. We discuss all this while trying not to get sued!  Links: For more discussion on social media influencers, look up these pages: The cranky vegan - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTTIQEjQKBylegGc_CP2z1w Animal RIghts Zone -...

This show includes an interview with Kristy Alger, animal liberationist and author. Kristy's blog Writing Liberation is available on Medium and Kristy spoke with us about her book Five Essays for Freedom: A Political Primer for Animal Advocates. We also introduced Caroline to the Freedom of Species team and discussed activism.  You can read Kristy's blog at: https://writingliberation.medium.com/ S...

We test our Animal knowledge against each other in an inaugural Freedom of Species Animal Liberation Quiz. Play along while you listen and see how you go. This is our Subscriber Drive show – please subscribe to 3CR and you can support our show specifically by choosing 'Freedom of Species' under 'Program'. We appreciate any subscriptions! https://www.3cr.org.au/subscribeQuiz Image by Tumisu from Pi...

New FoS presenters Davita and Trev discuss the Valentine’s Day Outreach they will be taking part in with Melbourne Cow Save. This action raises awareness about both the animal ethics and human rights issues behind the many common chocolate products typically purchased for Valentine’s Day.  Links: For more information about Melbourne Cow Save events including the upcoming Valentine’s Day event, joi...

After a long hiatus from the 3CR studios we are back live! I make the case that 'Thinking With Animals' will help us recognise that the climate crisis is happening NOW and will help identify opportunities to tackle the crisis. Let's try taking an animal perspective when facing the climate crisis!

On this show we discuss cultured (lab-grown) meat and freeganism from an animal liberation perspective. Links: The article we discuss explaining a recent development in cultured meat: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/02/no-kill-lab-grown-meat-to-go-on-sale-for-first-time For more on a vegan perspective on cultured meat: https://www.veganaustralia.org.au/the_ethics_of_cultured_meat ...

On this Summer Special, Freedom of Species presenters Nick and Adam bring you some of their favourite political music, covering a wide range of social justice issues.  Songs played:Briggs ft. Thelma Plum ‘Go To War’.A.B. Original ft. Caiti Baker ‘Dead In A Minute’.Sole and DJ Pain 1 ‘Snitch Nation’. Body Count ‘No Lives Matter’.Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar ‘The Silent Majority’.Idles ‘Danny Nedel...

This week we are sharing a recording from a Stream of Solidarity discussion hosted by Animal Rebellion in the UK. The discussion is with Ronnie Lee who has been a vegan and campaigner for animal liberation for almost 50 years. In the early 1970s he was one of the founders of the Animal Liberation Front and served three prison sentences (a total of about 9 years in prison) for animal liberation act...

This show features Lottie on challenging the use of animals within psycholinguistics. There is also an Animal Activists Forum talk from Andrew Knight exploring the science on animal experimentation. Links:For more on the science on animal experimentation: https://animalexperiments.infoAndrew Knight’s website has links to his publications and Youtube channel: https://andrewknight.info/Andrew Knight...

This show features Meghan Street on the harm that capitalism causes to workers and other animals.  Links for the show:Meghan is a host of Green Left Radio on 3CR: https://www.3cr.org.au/greenleftweeklyradioWe discuss the article ‘Covid-19 shows factory food production is dangerous for animals and humans alike’ by Troy Vettese and Alex Blanchette: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/...

Another episode dedicated to music focused on animals, only its HEAVY! Listen to some great punk, hardcore and metal.

This show features author Aph Ko on connections between speciesism and racism. We also play some of the Animal Activists Forum talk ‘Academic and Activist Reflections on the Animal Advocacy Movement’ by FoS presenter Nick Pendergrast. Links for the Aph Ko interview:Check out Aph Ko's work at: https://aphko.com/The interview is from Animal Voices, which you can check out at the following site/subsc...

This show features Rose (pictured) and Harley from Animal Rebellion on the creative actions this organisation has done to highlight the environmental impact of animal agriculture and advocate for a plant-based food system.  Links for the show:Connect with Animal Rebellion on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalRebellionCheck out the book Blueprint for Revolution: https://scribepublications.co...

We speak to Harley from Animal Rebillion UK about how they have continued to advocate for animals during a pandemic. Harley shares some of the creative ways they use to engage people without traditional tactics that involved large gatherings. Follow the link to find out more about Animal Rebellion UK.