How an Open Rescue Can Make Animal Freedom an International Debate

In 2016, DxE investigators openly rescued a chicken named Qing from a cage that had deformed her feet. But their compassion was criminalised and ultimately led to the incarceration of animal rescuer Wayne Hsiung last month. Can the movement make this repression backfire? Can we turn animal freedom into an international debate? If yes, how? We're gathering with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), whose investigators were recently arrested for rescuing someone neglected and suffering, to reveal the answers to these questions. Cassie King, Communications Lead at DxE, and 21-year-old UC Berkeley student and Founder of Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary, Zoe Rosenberg, will join the conversation to summarise what happened and detail the stories of Qing, Wayne, and three other DxE animal rescuers who were arrested on felony warrants outside the courthouse, including Zoe herself. During the webinar, Mark Westcombe from Animal Think Tank will discuss the importance of escalation and the backfire effect, providing historical examples, key learning points, and opportunities. Together, we'll contribute to the question of how we, as a movement, can be prepared to respond and build a larger narrative around events like this to potentially create a whirlwind moment. Hsiung's story and the open rescue of Qing have made headlines in the media and become not only their moment but ours as well. We invite you to this exclusive one-hour session as we discover ways to amplify and unify the Animal Freedom movement.