arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

ABN AMRO SUPPORTS ANIMAL CRUELTY

The Biomedical Primate Research Center (BPRC) in Rijswijk is the biggest primate center in Europe. The center keeps around 1500 monkeys, amongst them rhesus macaques, marmosets, doeroecoeli's, squirrel monkeys and chimpanzees. These monkeys are being used for research in immunology, parasitology, neurological disorders, virology and xeno transplantation. Day in day out these monkeys are tortured in the name of science! And all of these research results are pretty much invalidated by the fact that they are monkeys and not humans. There are many examples of drugs which were promoted on the market as being safe but caused horrific side effects when people started using them. Every year millions of Euros go to the vivisection industry but of every Euro only 0.3- cents goes to research into alternatives. The old-guard of scientists desperately tries to cling on to their old and cheaper methods. The tests in the BPRC are cruel and useless. We demand the closure of this monkey hell!

ABN AMRO is by far the biggest business bank of the Netherlands. Almost every company with sales of over a million Euros is doing business with this bank. Also the BPRC has an account with the ABN AMRO and they take care of their financial business. This is not the first time ABN AMRO is investing in dodgy companies. Recently they invested in the English INSYS GROUP, a producer of cluster bombs and anti-tank mines amongst other things. These bombs and mines are causing thousands of deaths each year all over the world. In March 2002 even the Dutch government raised questions about this investment. Before this the ABN AMRO invested in the construction of oil palm plantations in Indonesia, which meant rainforests were burned down and clear felled. Indigenous people, tigers, orangutans and rhinos are now threatened with extinction because they are losing their natural habitat. After a campaign by ‘Milieudefensie,' (the Dutch Friends of the Earth) ABN AMRO promised to subject their finances to very strict criteria. The motto of ABN AMRO is, "respecting human rights and the environment is an integral part of responsible social behavior and corporate citizenship. We are accountable for our actions and open about them." We think their motto is some kind of a sick joke!

Cancel your account at the ABN AMRO bank and tell them why. Make sure your money is not being invested in projects that destroy the earth and it's inhabitants. Open an account with a bank that is doing business in a socially responsible way.

BPRC HAS TO CLOSE, BPRC WILL CLOSE!