While animal rights extremists warned Monday that the London 2012 Games was now a target for direct action since one of the companies involved in the project was behind a controversial animal research laboratory at Oxford University, the British government said it hopes to use the Games to eliminate child poverty and unemployment in the city.
Speak, the animal rights organization campaigning against the laboratory, issued a statement on the Internet identifying the construction firm Mace Ltd. as the “key company” in the project – a 20 million pound animal research laboratory dedicated to research on animals.
The Guardian reports that work on the laboratory was stopped in 2004 after the main contractor, Montpelier, pulled out following a campaign of intimidation, arson attacks and threats from animal extremists.
A spokesman for the Olympic Delivery Authority said there was comprehensive legislation to keep animal activists from intimidating or threatening companies and individuals. He said, “as far as we are aware Mace is not involved with the Oxford animal laboratory. We have not had any communications from Speak on this issue”.
The newspaper reports that a source close to the Olympic project, where work is due to begin next year, said a mechanism had already been put in place involving the police and security services to assess threats varying from animal rights extremists to al-Qaida. The source said under IOC requirements the construction site would be a completely sterile area. The Metropolitan police have seconded officers to London 2012 ensuring that security meets the tough criteria set down by the IOC, said the source.
Meanwhile the government said it hopes to use the effects of the Games to eliminate child poverty and unemployment in London.
Chancellor George Brown said “the Olympic and Paralympic Games are a great opportunity for us and I believe that it will inspire today’s generation of children, and there are nearly 100,000 young volunteers to reach their potential and achieve their aspirations”.
He added that the Olympics will help overcome unemployment in London, and unveiled new targets aiming to encourage businesses to make more entry-level opportunities available, as well as securing public sector commitment to provide a steady supply of job-ready candidates.
