PAGAN ANTI

From the files of the Sub-culture Alternatives Freedom Foundation 
(S.A.F.F.) copyright relinquished. 


        SATANIC ANIMAL MUTILATION SCARE HITS BRITAIN!

The worn out Satanic Child Abuse Myth has been recycled into the Satanic 
Animal Mutilation Scare. Unbelievably the British RSPCA are buying in to 
it. The new scare is guaranteed to cause further injustice and hysteria in 
Britain and there's no-one out there who can stop it. 

Unlike the Satanic Ritual Abuse Myth, which caught Britain with it's pants 
down, this new scare is well documented. The S.A.F.F. has identified the 
origin of the rumour during the 1970s. We tracked it throughout the 1980s in 
America where it was cleverly combined with the Satanic Ritual Child Abuse 
Myth during 1987/88. It all turned out to be yet another scare-tactic by 
Cultural Supremacists intent on commandeering moral platforms to wage their 
war on freedom of choice and alternative beliefs. 

Ironically the history of the Satanic Animal Mutilation Panic provides the 
clearest evidence yet to DISPROVE the doctrine of Ritual Abuse. CHECK THIS 
OUT: "Cases of Animal Torture and horrible mutilations of animal carcasses 
have been discovered throughout the U.K. in mysterious situations and bizarre 
surroundings which point to Satanic ritual Sacrifice. Self-proclaimed experts 
insist that this is the tip of the iceberg and proof of the existence of an 
evil pan-global Satanic Conspiracy to debase humanity. As the hysteria builds 
more cases are being uncovered in YOUR locality! Animal lovers should keep a 
close watch on anything weird and telephone the RSPCA."

Sound familiar?  It should do: Change the words 'animals' to 'children'; swap 
NSPCC with RSPCA and you have the EXACT same psychological mechanism which 
foisted the Satanic Child Abuse Hysteria on Britain in 1989.   Will the 
scaremongers succeed again?  Fanatics have tried to put the Satanic Animal 
Mutilation rumour into gear half a dozen times over the past four years. Each 
time the S.A.F.F. has discredited every claimed case, just like we did with 
the allegations of Satanic Child Abuse.  

During 1990 and 1991 there were over two dozen attempts to float the SAMS 
scare in Britain. Sensational headlines like PUPPY IN RITUAL HANGING (Western 
Daily Press) or DEVIL RIDDLE OF DEAD FOX IN CHAPEL (Wales on Sunday). Or how 
about  SAVE YOUR PETS - IT'S SATAN'S BIRTHDAY and SATAN LINK FEARS OVER HORSE 
INJURIES. Every one of these two dozen British 'cases' of supposed Satanic 
Animal Mutilation was proved to be falsely attributed. Occult connections were 
seen where none existed. 

When the Satanic Animal Mutilation Scare wore itself out in the U.S., 
fundamentalist troublemakers imported it directly into the U.K. Compare these 
American Headlines with their British Counterparts: 11.01.88 HORSE MUTILATION 
RAISES FEARS OF DEVIL WORSHIP (UPI) / 22.07.90 ANIMAL TORTURE & SLAYINGS 
ATTRIBUTED TO DEVIL WORSHIP (Assoc. Press) / 14.01.91 MUTILATED DOG CARCASSES 
FOUND (Richmond Times). 

Each of these Articles claimed to contain 'proof' of the Global Satanic 
Conspiracy which threatens society and from which it can only be saved by 
larger doses of Christianity. It is this self-same arrogance which is 
gaining credence within politics with the false panaceas of 'family values' 
and the imposition of 'Moral Standards' which are set to condone racial and 
cultural segregation, censorship, and restriction of human rights, thereby 
breaking up the pluralist structure of our society. 

The Satanic Ritual Child Abuse Myth and the Satanic Animal Mutilation Scare 
are simply hard-sells to whip the masses into line . To create a society based 
upon values which deprive individuals of their own volition. In the process of 
casting about to find culprits for these imaginary problems the spiritual 
terrorists are handed power to affect all our lives, not through the 
democratic process, but through an emotional blackmail based on fear of the 
consequences. 

WHY THE FANATICS ONLY PRETEND TO OFFER EVIDENCE: It was the complete absence 
of any valid forensic evidence of any kind which HELPED the idea of Satanic 
Child Abuse to gain acceptance. There were no bodies, no blood, no bones, no 
ritual impedimenta, nothing at all. THEREFORE NOTHING COULD BE TESTED - but 
the fear of the consequences became very real in human terms. The dearth of 
evidence was the single most powerful aid for those who wanted to promote 
the doctrine. One 'cult cop' actually said that the fact that there was no 
evidence was evidence in itself.(?)  With the Satanic Animal Mutilation 
Scare the boot is on the other foot. The carcasses provide ample evidence
and these can be inspected objectively and properly. In every instance
the allegations have been found to be hysterical and untrue. 

In the American report of 14 January 1991 (MUTILATED DOG CARCASSES FOUND) the 
reader is 'sold' the idea of Satanic Involvement in the choice of text. 
Thirteen carcasses were found (a mystic number). The article remarked that the 
Dogs had their hearts, heads, bowels and paws missing. It went into great 
detail to tell us that 12 of the carcasses had been skinned and that they were 
all found in woods laid out in a specific pattern. The investigating police 
officer, who had at that point not begun his enquiries, was reported as 
saying, "In 16 years as a police officer I've come across some pretty STRANGE 
things but this rates as one of the STRANGEST.  There is a DERANGED person out 
there and their next move may be TO DO SOMETHING TO A HUMAN BEING".  But the 
case of the Dismembered Dogs didn't remain a mystery for long. A day later 
the Richmond News Leader solved the riddle. The Dog Carcasses were laboratory 
coyotes, bred for experiments " which had been dissected by biology students 
on a nearby campus. It was all perfectly legal and on the up and up". There 
was absolutely no occult involvement at all.  In our investigations EVERY such 
case has ended similarly, whether the accusations concerned Satanic Child 
Abuse or Animal Mutilation. 

During March 1969 The Rev John James of St Johns, Stanstead opened his church 
to find it had been the location for Devil Worshippers. The Altar Cross had 
been laid flat. Alongside it were the remains of four candles. In the centre 
of the Altar was a severed pig's head with a 'Satanic Crucifix' stuffed into 
its mouth. Nearby was a page ripped from a bible. Was this not clear evidence 
of Satanic Rites, Church Desecration and Animal Mutilation? The uproar was 
short-lived for the Daily Mirror of 28 March 1969 reported that the 
'Satanists' turned out to be two girl members of the church's own 
congregation. The teenagers owned up and admitted that they had set up the 
whole thing to see what might happen. They had now apologised for their prank. 

These occurrences might be considered harmless, even humorous were it not for 
the polarisation of social concern that they bring in their wake, and the ever 
present self-interest groups who jump on the bandwagon to use that outrage as 
a cause celebre. 

The involvement of the NSPCC in rubber-stamping the harmful doctrine of
Satanic Ritual Abuse has been clearly documented.  Their use of the scare 
to aid fund-raising is not so well known but it happened all the same. The 
exclusively Christian British National Children's Home used the scare for a 
national fund raising campaign too.   Having a leading-edge issue is an 
essential advantage for any independent social services organisation. 

But the NSPCC had no excuse for jumping on the Satanic Ritual Abuse bandwagon
as they did.  The S.A.F.F. warned the NSPCC that the scare was bogus 
during 1988, a full year before they made their interest public. Our correspondence
with them specifically warned of the harm which had occurred in 
the U.S.A. and which was likely to occur both to children and innocent 
families in the U.K. The S.A.F.F. offered in-depth research and analyses of 
the fundamentalist scare, but the NSPCC refused to listen. When we pressed 
the point they tried to silence the S.A.F.F. with legal threats. 

The Satanic Animal Mutilation Scare has always been a peripheral component of 
the Satanic Child Abuse Myth. Every time the RSPCA became involved with a 
spurious case, we wrote to their director Andrew Richmond and discredited 
the allegations.  Like the NSPCC the RSPCA did not liaise with the S.A.F.F. 
We first wrote to the RSPCA during April 1989 and offered our help. Instead 
the RSPCA began their own investigation, just as the NSPCC had done.

During October 1989 , (six months after the RSPCA had ignored S.A.F.F. 
help), Mr A. F. J. Goddard, an Inspector from the RSPCA 'Special Investigation 
Unit' made three visits to the home of a well-known Witch. His purpose 
was to 'look into claims of ritualistic killings of animals' for the RSPCA. 
He hoped the witch would be able to help with background.  Goddard said 
that he had been given the witch's name as a contact and named several 
people who were major players in the promotion of the doctrine of Satanic 
Child Abuse.  

Mr & Mrs R Pennel are evangelical Christians who live in the North East, their 
link with promoters of the Satanic Ritual Abuse Myth occurred during 1988 when 
they claimed in their local newspaper that they had been driven out of their 
house by Satanists who had sacrificed their cat. This case is the first 
instance of the  Satanic Animal Mutilation Scare in conjunction with claims 
of Satanic Child Abuse in the U.K. The Pennel's uncorroborated testimony 
was printed alongside an article containing allegations of Satanic Abuse 
and an interview with the anti-Witchcraft campaigner Geoffrey Dickens MP. 
Dickens had that month made his first announcement in the Commons about his 
campaign against so-called Satanic Ritual Child Abuse. 

Dickens gave the Pennels his personal support. Later the Pennels were to 
'contribute' information to Dickens' famous 'dossier' on Satanic Child abuse 
(which never saw the light of day). At around the same time Diana Core of 
Childwatch , one of the most obsessive believers in the doctrine, visited the 
area to investigate local allegations of Satanic Abuse. These cases eventually 
evaporated yet became part of the mythology of Satanic Abuse in the U.K.  The 
RSPCA Special Investigator told the media-witch that he had been directed to 
her by people in this caucus. 

In this one instance therefore we can see the clear lineage and connections 
between the fundamentalist promoters of the Satanic Child Abuse Myth and the 
Satanic Animal Mutilation Scare which is now being foisted upon Britain. We 
can also see the comparison between action taken to 'legitimise' that 
fanaticism by authorities with special interests in those areas. 

Having rejected S.A.F.F. research in favour of prejudiced 'evidence' of this              
kind the RSPCA  followed through in a number of possible cases. During May 
1990 Goddard investigated further spurious allegations of Satanic Animal 
Mutilation in Wales.  In September 1992 RSPCA officials found 'symbols painted 
in chicken blood' in Chichester. During April 1991 the RSPCA were involved in 
a case of alleged ritual hanging of a dog, which prognostication the police 
later denied.  During June 1991 an RSPCA spokesperson said they feared that 
two cats recently found dead had been killed 'during Satanic Rituals'. They 
had not. In March 1992 The RSPCA were involved in an investigation into 
alleged Satanic Animal Mutilation in Grimsby. Their inspector said "It appears 
that some kind of rites have been performed." No such rites occurred. As RSPCA 
belief in SAMS increased their statements became more confident.  In April 
1992 the RSPCA were quoted as saying 'Sussex has already been named by the 
RSPCA as one of Britain's worst black spots for Satanic Animal Killings'. 
Really?   Do RSPCA supporters realise that their donations are being 
squandered on such wild-goose chases? 

The ease with which the hysteria can build is clearly shown by the RSPCA's 
involvement in a case in Clevedon, Avon during March 1990.  A burnt and 
'mutilated' cat was found on the beach. The RSPCA (primed with their new found 
campaign) pronounced it a victim of Satanic rites. Shortly afterwards a 
schoolgirl went to the police and implicated an 18 year old man as the 
Satanist who had sacrificed the cat.  The local newspapers went wild. The 18 
year old was located and subjected to questioning by the police.  When he was 
released he promptly physically assaulted the girl.  In the court case which 
followed the girl admitted that she had made the whole thing up. The South 
Avon Mercury finally solved the mystery in an article on 1 March 90 headed 
YOUTH ASSAULTED GIRL AFTER CAT RUMOURS.  An old lady had come forward.   'The 
cat had nothing to do with satanic ceremonies it was disposed of by an elderly 
lady who owned it'.

The fiasco over the Satanic Animal Mutilation Scare has a direct parallel 
with the emotional charge of the Satanic Ritual Child Abuse Myth.   The 
Satanic Animal Mutilation Scare is utterly bogus and any 'expert' purveying 
the panic should be sacked before they can do any more damage. 

Ends :  Leeds, October 20, 1992.