Mink Trial
« Animal Rights activist Malcolm Klimowicz is facing a B&E charge and a 10 year prison sentence after filming and exposing animal cruelty at 5 Ontario mink farms during a public inquiry. This is expected to be the last trial date where the defense and the prosecutor will submit their closing arguments.
The trial will be broadcast online at this link: (more info will be shared when it becomes available). Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)
Here is a good article which covers a lot of what happened at the last court dates where both Malcolm and the fur farmer testified: Windsor Star
“No property was damaged and not even a door was opened to obtain the footage. This charge is a gross misuse of the law. It is an attempt by the fur industry and the government to silence whistleblowers and censor how animals are being mistreated from the public. I have used my camera to open up the doors of these fur factories to the eyes of the world and now they want them slammed shut. I’m asking that you take a stand with me against animal cruelty and against censorship. Lets use this opportunity to expose the animals suffering at the Walt Freeman mink farm and across the fur industry!
The public has a right to know what is happening to these animals. It should not be a crime to film and report animal cruelty to the police.
Footage recorded at the Walt Freeman mink farm
Please donate to and share my legal defense fund
My legal defense team is being spearheaded by Gary Grill
Back Story:
In 2017, I spearheaded a campaign to ban fur farming in Ontario. We sent petitions to the Ontario Legislature, the Minister of Agriculture and other key politicians. Members of our group met with and lobbied MPP’s, and I helped organize dozens of protests at fur farms, fur auctions, and demonstrated against political leaders who support the fur trade.
As part of the campaign, I coordinated and executed a public inquiry into the fur industry. I used a video camera to record shocking animal cruelty at 5 mink factory farms across the province. I recorded dead and injured animals, toxic sludge pits emitting poison gas, cages covered in feces, and animals being fed maggot infested rotten food. The fact that these crimes were happening at 5 different farms exposed a culture of standardized animal neglect across the fur industry.
The videos were made public generating international media coverage and shone a big spotlight on this secretive industry. I then handed the footage over to the OSPCA in hopes they would take action to help these animals but unfortunately they have refused to act.
The public probe into the fur industry caught farmers red handed engaging in criminal activity surrounding negligence and mistreatment of the animals in their care. Instead of taking action to help the animals, the police, government, prosecutors, and the fur industry went on a crusade to set an example of me.
Their aim was to deter others from defending animals as I have done. They went outside the scope of the law and criminally charged me with B&E, civilly sued me for tens of thousands of dollars, and went so far as to pass animal ag bill 156 – a law designed to stop any footage of animal use industries being recorded or shared to the pubic.
What I have done to help save these animals may be questionable but what the fur industry is doing to them is inexcusable! I stand by my actions and I’ve seen our message resound around the world in a more unified voice than ever before to put an end to the madness of fur farming.
More info:
END FUR FARMING
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Watch PETA’s expose on my investigation »
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