Martin Balluch (born 12 October 1964) is an Austrian physicist, philosopher,

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

and prominent

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...

activist. He co-founded the Austrian Vegan Society in 1999, and has been president of the Austrian Association Against Animal Factories since 2002.Singer, Peter. (ed.) ''In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave''. Blackwell, 2006. The philosopher

Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular ...

has called Balluch "one of the foremost spokesmen in the worldwide

animal rights movement The animal rights (AR) movement, sometimes called the animal liberation, animal personhood, or animal advocacy movement, is a social movement that seeks an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, ...

for pursuing the nonviolent, democratic road to reform."Singer, Peter
Of great apes and men
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', 18 July 2008.

Early life and career

Balluch was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. He obtained

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

s in mathematics and astronomy from the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hi ...

in 1986 and 1987, and his PhD in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

from the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

in 1989.Balluch's CV
University of Cambridge, retrieved 8 April 2015. He worked for 12 years as a lecturer and researcher at the Universities of Vienna, Heidelberg, and Cambridge, before leaving academia in 1997 to become a full-time

advocate.

Animal rights advocacy

Balluch became active within the animal rights movement in 1985, moving to full-time

advocacy Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using fac ...

in 1997 while at Cambridge.Balluch, Martin. "How Austria achieved a historic breakthrough for animals" in Singer, Peter (ed.) ''In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave'', Blackwell, 2006, pp. 157-166 (paperback edition) He was one of two

protester A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

s who abseiled down Great St Mary's Church in Cambridge in November 1998 in support of animal rights activist Barry Horne, who spent 68 days on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

in an unsuccessful effort to have the government order a Royal Commission on

animal testing Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and ''in vivo'' testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study. This ...

. In an article in Peter Singer's ''In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave'', Balluch describes his

activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

in Austria, which he says has given Austria animal protection

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...

that, he writes, is among the most advanced in the world. He attributes the effectiveness of the activism to a united front among animal advocacy groups, which are elsewhere often divided by

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...

and arguments about tactics. The first Austrian animal rights conference was held in Vienna in 2002, leading to a united press conference, which, he writes, signaled the start of a campaign to change the law. Balluch is notable for his role in persuading the Austrian parliament in 2004 to add a clause about non-human animals to the country's constitution, which now reads, "The state protects the life and well-being of animals in its responsibility for them as fellows of mankind. " He also helped to establish "animal solicitors" in each province, who are empowered by start court proceedings on behalf of animals, and he was prominent in the campaign to have chicken batteries outlawed, which resulted in their being declared illegal in Austria after 1 January 2009.Interview with Martin Balluch
, ''Abolitionist-Online'', first published in ''

Bite Back ''Bite Back'' is a Malaysian-registered website and magazine that promotes the cause of the animal liberation movement, and specifically the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).battery farms for chickens; a ban on the trade of dogs and cats in pet stores; a ban on the public display of dogs and cats in order to sell them. It is against the law to kill any animal without good cause; kill shelters are outlawed. Each province must appoint an "animal solicitor" financed by the state. The

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

s may take action on behalf of any animal, and must be kept informed about trials involving animals. When police or prosecutors are made aware of breaches of animal legislation, they are now compelled by law to act. Every two years, the government must write a report on advances made in animal protection. An "animal protection committee" has been set up, with one member elected by animal advocacy groups. The use of wild animals in circuses is prohibited. And the following statement has been added to the constitution: "The state protects the life and well-being of animals due to the special responsibility of mankind with respect to animals as their fellows. " He was invited to run as a

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

candidate in September 2008.Jailed campaigner to run for Greens
''

Wiener Zeitung ''Wiener Zeitung'' is an Austrian newspaper. It is one of the oldest, still published newspapers in the world. It is the official publication used by the Government of the Republic of Austria for legally-required announcements, such as company r ...

'', (in German) 1 September 2008. On 21 May 2008, Balluch was one of 10 leaders of Austrian animal advocacy groups jailed without charge under a law aimed at organized crime. The court recommended that the activists be held until September of the same year. Balluch responded by launching a hunger strike, which led to his being artificially fed.Press release
Association against Animal Factories, 18 June 2008. He was released on 3 September 2008. In February 2010, the state prosecution announced that enough evidence had been found to put 13 animal protection activists, including the ten who had spent three months in custody, on trial. Four of the activists have released their charge sheets on the internet. The activists' supposed membership in a criminal organisation is deduced from an extensive list of expressed opinions and political activities, such as organising demonstrations and public conferences. After 14 months of trial at a cost of over €35, 000 in lawyer fees for each of the accused, a complete verdict of "not guilty" for all was handed out on 2 May 2011.

References

External links

Balluch's Cambridge homepage

''Indymedia UK'', 7 July 2008.
Website of Verein Gegen Tierfabriken (Association Against Animal Factories)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balluch, Martin 1964 births Animal rights scholars Austrian activists Austrian animal rights activists Austrian philosophers Austrian physicists Living people Veganism activists

Early life and career

Animal rights advocacy

See also

References

External links