Jill Phipps

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Jill Phipps
Jill Phipps

Jill Phipps (January 15, 1964 – February 1, 1995) was a British animal rights activist. She lived in Coventry, England.

On 1 February 1995, Phipps was crushed to death under the wheels of an lorry carrying live baby veal calves into Coventry Airport in Baginton, England, to be flown to Amsterdam for distribution across Europe. 10 of the 33 protesters present had broken through police lines and were trying to bring the lorry to a halt by sitting in the road or chaining themselves to it. Phipps was crushed beneath the lorry's wheels and her fatal injuries included a broken spine.[1] Phipps' brother Zab commented, "Jill was crushed and died on the way to hospital. Our mother, Nancy, was with her. The lorry driver has not been charged, not even with driving without due care and attention".[2] The Crown Prosecution Service decided there was not enough evidence to bring charges against the driver, Stephen Yates. Phipps' family believe that the police were to blame for her death, because the police appeared determined to keep the convoy of lorries moving despite the protest.[3]

Veal calf exports from Coventry Airport ended months later, when the aviation firm belonging to the pilot responsible for the veal flights, Christopher Barrett-Jolley, went bankrupt following accusations of running guns from Slovakia to Sudan in breach of EU rules. In 2006 he was charged with smuggling 271 kg of cocaine from Jamaica into Southend airport.[4]

The continuing level of protest was such that several local councils and a harbour board banned live exports from their localities.[5] All live exports of calves later stopped due to fears of BSE infection. In 2006 this ban was lifted, but Coventry Airport pledged that it would refuse requests to fly veal calves.[6]

Jill's Film, with footage of Phipps, the Coventry live export campaign, the funeral, interviews with Phipps' family, and footage showing the horrific reality of animal cruelty, was produced and shown for the first time at the Jill's Day 2005 event in Coventry.[7][8] Memorial events are held by grassroots animal rights groups around February 1 each year.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1] "Woman who died in veal protest becomes martyr of wider cause, by Mark Honigsbaum, The Guardian, February 5, 2005
  2. ^ [2] "Jill Phipps is crushed to death under export lorry, NETCU Watch, webiste visited January 25, 2007
  3. ^ [3] "Woman who died in veal protest becomes martyr of wider cause, Mark Honigsbaum, The Guardian, February 5, 2005
  4. ^ [4] Final chapter in life and times of notorious pilot, John Revill, Birmingham Post, December 6, 2006.
  5. ^ The Right to Protest and the Right to Export: Police Discretion and the Free Movement of Goods, Catherine Barnard and Ivan Hare, The Modern Law Review, Vol. 60, No. 3 (May, 1997)
  6. ^ [5] "No veal flights from Coventry, Fiona Scott, Coventry Telegraph, March 9, 2006
  7. ^ [6] Jill's Film on Google Video as at January 29, 20057
  8. ^ [7] Jill Phipps :: Memorial Website, visited January 25, 2007
  9. ^ [8] Veggies Animal Rights calendar
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