News

Breaking news and publications from Direct Action Everywhere.

Media inquiry? Please email press@dxe.io.

Featured

All News

PRESS

Beaver Judge Finds Animal Activist Guilty of Trespassing, Disorderly Conduct during Pioneer Day Event

April 26, 2023

Salt Lake Tribune

“I feel that this company has a lot of power over this town,” Vollmar said of Smithfield Foods, which up until layoffs last year employed one of every four workers in the county according to local statistics, including Mayor Matt Robinson. “There’s probably a lot of political pressure to convict me at this court."

Read More

PRESS

Beaver Judge Finds Animal Activist Guilty of Trespassing, Disorderly Conduct during Pioneer Day Event

April 26, 2023

Salt Lake Tribune

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activist Found Guilty for Leafleting about Factory Farms

April 25, 2023

A Beaver County Judge convicted Curtis Vollmar of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct for talking to members of the public about Smithfield Foods.

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activist Found Guilty for Leafleting about Factory Farms

April 25, 2023

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

UC Law Summit Explores Impact and Implications of Historic Animal Rights Trial

April 24, 2023

The “Right to Rescue” is a hot topic after a California jury acquitted two activists who removed sick birds from a Foster Farms slaughter truck. Jurors, defendants, attorneys, and law professors gathered to discuss the verdict's meaning for laws related to corporate animal abuse, animal rescue, and animal personhood.

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

UC Law Summit Explores Impact and Implications of Historic Animal Rights Trial

April 24, 2023

Read More

PRESS

Opinion: Is Free Speech Dead in Rural Utah?

April 23, 2023

Salt Lake Tribune

If Beaver County officials are so fixated on silencing activists raising concerns and asking questions about a corporation, what is this corporation trying to hide? What is the incentive for the Beaver officials to silence people? Should international multi-billion-dollar corporations have this much control in rural Utah?

Read More

PRESS

Opinion: Is Free Speech Dead in Rural Utah?

April 23, 2023

Salt Lake Tribune

Read More

PRESS

Podcast: The Foster Farms Rescue and Trial, w/Alexandra Paul and Alicia Santurio

April 22, 2023

Our Hen House

After their acquittal of petty theft charges for rescuing two sick chickens, the activists describe the importance of shedding light on the cruelty in animal agriculture through court trials and the "necessity defense" as it relates to animals in the eyes of the law.

Read More

PRESS

Podcast: The Foster Farms Rescue and Trial, w/Alexandra Paul and Alicia Santurio

April 22, 2023

Our Hen House

Read More

PRESS

Beaver Officials Say Animal Activist Should Go to Jail for Approaching People at Park during Event

April 20, 2023

St George News

“Smithfield Foods is weaponizing the police to silence people who oppose factory farming,” [activist Curtis] Vollmar told St. George News in an email. “As this issue gains more attention and more people speak up for animals and the planet, we need our First Amendment right to be protected.”

Read More

PRESS

Beaver Officials Say Animal Activist Should Go to Jail for Approaching People at Park during Event

April 20, 2023

St George News

Read More

BLOG

We're Hitting the Road for the Right to Rescue!

April 18, 2023

We're touring 12 cities in two weeks to talk about DxE's recent groundbreaking victories for the Right to Rescue. Join us in a city near you!

Read More

BLOG

We're Hitting the Road for the Right to Rescue!

April 18, 2023

We're touring 12 cities in two weeks to talk about DxE's recent groundbreaking victories for the Right to Rescue. Join us in a city near you!

Read More

PRESS

Protests Follow Another Death of Racehorse at Golden Gate Fields

April 17, 2023

KALW Public Media

The protest was in tribute to the unconsenting athletes whose extreme stress, horrific injuries, and frequent deaths are, according to activists, downplayed by the profit-driven racing industry.

Read More

PRESS

Protests Follow Another Death of Racehorse at Golden Gate Fields

April 17, 2023

KALW Public Media

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Chicken Rescuers Acquitted in Historic “Right to Rescue” Case

April 16, 2023

A California jury found two women “not guilty” for rescuing sick birds from a Foster Farms slaughter truck.

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Chicken Rescuers Acquitted in Historic “Right to Rescue” Case

April 16, 2023

Read More

Our Top Press Hits

TOP PRESS

Dangerous Pathogens and Cruelty Law Violations at Perdue Subsidiary, Animal Rights Report Alleges

June 13, 2023

The Intercept

In conjunction with the release of an undercover investigation on the factory farm, the group DxE mounted an “open rescue” of birds from a slaughterhouse.

Read More

TOP PRESS

Opinion: Utah Undermined the Jury System to Shield Big Ag from Scrutiny

March 30, 2023

Salt Lake Tribune

If government agencies were taking these [investigative] reports seriously and protecting animals from cruelty, there would be no need for bills like this. But certain Utah legislators have decided that the real problem with sick, suffering animals is the potential for negative publicity for the industry and so it is the industry, not the animals, that need protection.

Read More

TOP PRESS

The Fight Against Factory Farming Is Winning Criminal Trials

March 21, 2023

Vox

DxE’s theory — that when you show a jury of ordinary citizens what happens to animals in the meat industry, they’ll agree that they deserve rescue — turned out to be true, challenging the idea that the animal rights agenda is radical or unpopular.

Read More

TOP PRESS

Former TV Star, Now a Chicken ‘Rescuer,’ Found Not Guilty of Foster Farms Theft

March 20, 2023

LA Times

“This is a victory for [the chickens] Ethan, Jax, and all other living beings subjected to abuse by corporations like Foster Farms,” Santurio said in a news release from Direct Action Everywhere. “I have so much love for the chickens in my family and I want all animals to experience that safety and respect.”

Read More

TOP PRESS

‘Baywatch’s’ Alexandra Paul on Trial; Video Shows ‘Open Rescue’ of Foster Farms Chickens

March 9, 2023

LA Times

“We published this video within an hour with both my name and Alicia Santurio’s name attached to it because we believe what we’re doing is legal and morally right,” Paul said in an interview with The Times.

Read More

TOP PRESS

Opinion: Rescuing Farm Animals from Cruelty Should Be Legal

February 14, 2023

New York Times

In any context other than factory farming, treating animals the way we see chickens treated in the Foster Farms slaughterhouse videos would be considered blatant cruelty. Many would also consider it cruel to stand by while someone else handled animals this way. “If there’s someone in my neighborhood watching me boil birds alive, we’d say this is monstrous behavior,” Wayne Hsiung, a founder of DxE, told me.

Read More

TOP PRESS

I Snuck into a California Slaughterhouse to Film How They Kill Pigs. It Was Horrifying

February 9, 2023

San Francisco Chronicle

The message the pigs conveyed in the gas chamber footage is clear: They are in extreme pain, and they want to live. You don’t need the Agriculture Department to tell you that. You can see and hear it for yourself.

Read More

TOP PRESS

Opinion: Spy Cams Show What the Pork Industry Tries to Hide

February 2, 2023

New York Times

“It was horrible cruelty to the pigs inside the chambers,” Jim Reynolds told me. “It’s a violation of federal law.” Reynolds is one of 90 veterinarians who signed an open letter saying that the process shown in the videos probably violates federal law on humane slaughter.

Read More

TOP PRESS

Spy Cams Reveal the Grim Reality of Slaughterhouse Gas Chambers

January 18, 2023

Wired

Animal rights activists have captured the first hidden-camera video from inside a carbon dioxide “stunning chamber” in a US meatpacking plant.

Read More

DxE's Blog

BLOG

The Power of Symbolic Victories

August 12, 2021

Humans want to be on the winning team. Winning also gives those involved in the struggle a boost of motivation and efficacy.

Read More

BLOG

Here's the plan for our next mass action

July 30, 2021

Read More

BLOG

Covid Exposed the Brutal Reality of America’s Meat. And It’s Worse Than You Think.

June 22, 2021

Bloomberg columnist Adam Minter recently penned an article titled “Covid Almost Caused a Meat Crisis,” sounding the alarm about potential meat shortages. But the meat industry is itself a perpetual crisis, and Minter’s diagnosis of both problem and solution get it exactly wrong.

Read More

BLOG

When Critical Stops Meaning Critical: The Expansion of Tennessee’s Critical Infrastructure Statute

June 15, 2021

The Tennessee legislature has passed a bill that would include farms in the definition of critical infrastructure. But at what cost?

Read More

BLOG

Some Big Updates to DxE's Roadmap for Change

June 2, 2021

Read More

BLOG

Do you suffer from imposter syndrome?

May 26, 2021

Research indicates that likely the best tactic to reduce the impact of imposter syndrome is talking about it.

Read More

BLOG

Why we urgently need a moratorium on animal agriculture expansion

May 7, 2021

Read More

BLOG

Happy dairy companies are lying to you

April 20, 2021

New investigation into Land O'Lakes shows routine violations of own animal welfare standards

Read More

BLOG

How does a city become plant-based? You start by divesting from animal agriculture.

April 1, 2021

Read More

Our Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activists March in Petaluma During Felony Animal Rescue Trial

September 20, 2025

"I believe Zoe did the right thing by taking sick animals to the vet," said Sharon Loren of Penngrove, who joined the march. "Compassion should never be a crime, but it's on trial here in Sonoma County."

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Felony Animal Rescue Trial Begins

September 15, 2025

Zoe Rosenberg, 23, is charged with felony conspiracy and 3 misdemeanors for rescuing chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activists Stage Large “Boat” in Creative Protest Urging Trader Joe’s to Drop Petaluma Poultry

August 30, 2025

Activists use Trader Joe’s nautical theme to urge the company to follow its moral compass and steer away from Petaluma Poultry

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Activists Protest at Berkeley Trader Joe's Over Purchase of Chickens from Perdue's Petaluma Poultry

August 16, 2025

Dozens of activists with the animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) protested outside the Trader Joe's store at 1885 University Avenue in Berkeley, after an Alameda County judge partially denied Trader Joe's requested temporary restraining order against DxE on Tuesday.

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Activists Protest at Homes of Perdue Executives, After Court Denies Temporary Restraining Order

July 26, 2025

Around thirty animal rights activists with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) held a peaceful protest outside the home of Scott Fitzpatrick, the Live Production Manager for Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry, after Sonoma County Judge Patrick Broderick denied Fitzpatrick’s application for a temporary restraining order on Friday, citing “insufficient evidence.”

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Second Perdue Foods Executive Sues Animal Rights Group to Stop Public Protests

July 23, 2025

Scott Fitzpatrick, Live Production Manager for national poultry giant Perdue Foods, filed a lawsuit Tuesday to stop public protests by Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) over documented animal cruelty.

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Activist Charged with Felony Vandalism for Supergluing Hand to Trader Joe's Fridge Protesting Animal Cruelty

July 3, 2025

Ani Kandada superglued down inside Trader Joe's original store in Pasadena asking the retailer to stop selling chickens from Perdue's Petaluma Poultry, just hours after another animal rights activist was arrested for supergluing her hand inside Trader Joe's Headquarters in Monrovia, CA.

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

Activist Arrested After Supergluing Herself at Trader Joe's Headquarters, as Tensions Rise Over Controversial Chicken Supplier

July 3, 2025

Carla Cabral remained superglued to the desk from approximately 10AM to approximately 11AM, while she demanded a meeting with company executives about documented animal cruelty at Trader Joe's chicken supplier, Petaluma Poultry, which is a subsidiary of national agribusiness giant Perdue Foods.

Read More

PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Animal Activists Disrupt CA Poultry Federation Board Meeting, Present Award for "Biggest Animal Abuser"

June 10, 2025

Animal rights activists with DxE disrupted multiple events at the Summer Board Meeting of the California Poultry Federation, a trade association representing commercial chicken and turkey producers across the state. Among CPF's twenty board members are three executives from Petaluma Poultry, the California subsidiary of national poultry giant Perdue Foods, where DxE investigators have documented widespread violations of animal cruelty laws since 2018.

Read More