Regan Russell

On June 19, 2020, Canadian animal rights activist and protester Regan Russell was run over and killed by an animal transporter after a demonstration outside a slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ontario. The driver of the transporter was subsequently charged with careless driving causing death.

Background

Russell began campaigning for animal rights when she was 24 years old, with her first protest against seal culling taking place outside a government building in Winnipeg. In 1985, she read Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals and became a vegan. Russell was also an advocate for Black Lives Matter and women's rights. Filmed in 2012 while protesting against Marineland, Russell said, "People say we’re breaking the law by storming. How do you think women got the right (to vote)? How do you think slavery was abolished?" and "People stood up and broke the laws — because they're stupid laws."

Death

On June 19, 2020, Russell attended a demonstration outside the Fearman's Pork Inc. pig slaughterhouse in Burlington with six other members of Toronto Pig Save, a branch of the animal rights organization Animal Save Movement. The demonstration, in which the activists gave water to slaughter-bound pigs through holes in the trailer of an animal transporter which had stopped outside the slaughterhouse for them, took place the day after the passage of Ontario Bill 156, an Ag-Gag bill known as the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act of 2020, which prohibits activists interfering with animal transport. Anita Krajnc, the founder of the organization, who had been the subject of a criminal investigation following an incident at the same slaughterhouse in 2015, said Russell tried to move out of the transporter's path as it ran over and killed her while turning into the driveway after the demonstration. After an investigation, the driver was charged with the Highway Traffic Act offence of careless driving causing death, with authorities stating there was no indication of intent or crime in his action.

Reactions

In California, actor and animal rights activist Joaquin Phoenix attended a memorial demonstration for Russell. He said, "While her tragic death has brought upon deep sorrow in the Animal Save community, we will honour her memory by vigorously confronting the cruelties she fought so hard to prevent by marching with Black Lives, protecting Indigenous rights, fighting for LGBTQ equality, and living a compassionate vegan life." Animal Save Movement criticized the charge brought against the driver of the animal transporter that killed Russell, calling it "feeble".

During the week following the accident, animal rights activists in London, England, held die-ins to protest Ontario Bill 156, gluing themselves to the roadway outside the High Commission of Canada. On July 1, a sit-in was held outside a slaughterhouse in Atena Lucana, Italy, in Russell's memory. On July 30, protesters interrupted a pig-watering demonstration outside Fearman's Pork Inc. slaughterhouse, trying to prevent the activists from giving water to pigs and holding signs with derogatory references to Russell.

In September 2020, the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA posthumously recognized Russell with the Dr. Jean Rumny Award for commitment and dedication to animals. REGAN RUSSELL - Killed For Compassion, a short film about Russell directed by Varun Virlan, was shown at the 2020 International Vegan Film Festival. In November 2020, Shaun Monson, director of Earthlings, released a documentary about Russell and Ontario Bill 156 titled There Was a Killing.

See also

• Death of Jill Phipps
• List of animal rights advocates