A Ryerson University instructor who was charged with mischief in July after admitting to spray-painting a stone sign at the University of Guelph (U of G) said his actions were to protest the school’s animal experimentation.
“I did something a bit ugly, but terrible things are being done to [animals],” said Paul Bali, an animal rights activist and part-time philosophy instructor. “Some loud public display was warranted.”
The word “abattoir,” which is another word for slaughterhouse, was found spray-painted on a stone U of G sign July 28 with an arrow pointed in the school’s direction. Bali, who is a graduate of U of G and a former resident of Guelph, said he spray-painted the word because he was protesting experiments conducted at the school on animals.
“I painted the word with an arrow pointing pretty well at the university’s Central Animal Facility,” Bali said.
Bali was in Guelph attending a talk about the university’s animal labs, according to the Guelph Mercury. While there, he learned animal behaviourist Temple Grandin was to speak at U of G on Aug. 28, and in a fit of rage, he decided to buy a spray paint can and graffiti the sign as a form of protest.
Temple Grandin, who is widely considered a leading authority on animal welfare in the livestock industry, has been criticized by some animal rights activists for her defence of “humane slaughtering.”
Bali said his decision to graffiti the sign was a moral decision.
“Ultimately, it’s hard to worry too much about career pragmatics in this apocalyptic situation,” Bali said.
Bali said he is aiming to release a work on this point to explain his actions “in a manner befitting a philosophy professor.”
“I’m often overwhelmed by a world where killing and cruelty are normalized, even in our purported institutions of wisdom,” he said. “Our destructive, death-worshipping ways have brought the biosphere to the point of collapse.”
Ryerson spokesperson Michael Forbes said the school does not condone illegal actions.
“We unequivocally support academic freedom,” Forbes said, “but we do not condone illegal acts and it is very disappointing to all of us when an incident like this occurs.”
Forbes said there is no precedent to Bali’s case. Bali is a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
“The CUPE collective agreement doesn’t include specific language, provisions, or policies regarding incidents like this,” Forbes explained. “If any action is taken, we have a formal process with CUPE and the university that we must follow.”
Bali said he will pay for the cleanup costs.
“Whatever the legal outcome of the court case, I will reimburse the university for the cleanup cost,” Bali said.
In the summer of 2014, Bali was charged with trespassing onto the property of Ryding Regency Meat Packers in Toronto. The charge was eventually dropped.
He is expected to appear in court Sept. 22 on the charge of public mischief under $5,000.
