The Spectacle of Open Rescue, 1993–2011

Abstract

This chapter continues with the theme of disruptive methods and tactical innovations. The technique of ‘open rescue’, perhaps one of the most creative and novel ways of making claims, emerged in the 1990s as a spectacle designed to reveal the realities of intensive farms. Through acts of open rescue, civil disobedience, and undercover surveillance, a politics of sight emerged. The sight of animal suffering, captured through amateur footage, transformed how the media framed activists’ claims. In prosecuting their case, activists also faced several legal obstacles. In the late 1990s and 2000s, the technique of open rescue diffused around the United States and Europe.