Who is 269?

“269” is a calf who was born into an Israeli dairy farm. His life will be cut off not long after it started. By branding his number on our bodies, we show our solidarity with the victims of the animal holocaust all around the world, remembering to never forget.

On October 2nd of 2012, 'World Farm Animals day', at Rabin Square in central Tel-Aviv, animal rights activists performed an act of solidarity and empathy towards abused animals exploited by the human race.

The display's aim is to call for empathy towards the most oppressed sector of our society and call into question the deep disconnect we as a society, have towards sanctioned animal cruelty.

The activists got branded with a hot steel brand, in the same way farm animals are branded in farms all over the world. The number 269, which was burned on their skin, was the designated number of a calf they have encountered in one of Israel's dairy farms.

This anonymous male calf will be forever immortalized on our bodies, and hopefully this message of solidarity will somehow bring a new way of looking at non-human animals. 

No animal should be exploited to satisfy the selfish needs and whimsical desires of humans, and that is why we chose to use the industry's own method of objectifying living beings as this symbolic means to convey our idea.

Annually, more than 150 billion animals are murdered worldwide due to people's selfishness, ignorance and greed.

This madness must stop and will stop the day humankind finally wakes up and understands that even the nameless feel pain and desire freedom no less than us humans.

We must engrave the 269 symbol in the collective consciousness. It is a symbol easy to distribute and duplicate, which allows us to communicate a radical message without relying solely on biased media outlets. With such control over our message, we can create viral conduits of communications by popularizing the 269 symbol through ever more daring and creative means. It is time to bring the fight to the streets, it is time for the line to be clearly drawn.

Victory is achieved through persistence and consistency. We must remember to stay open-minded and look for ways to be as efficient and as effective as possible for the animals. Circumstances are constantly changing, and so we must always be alert and flexible, using any means available to our advantage, as well as building a substantial and united oppositional force.

269life is what we make of it. It can be sprayed on a wall, hanged over a bridge, rendered in 3D animation, inked under our skin, printed on mass-produced stickers or posters... It's up to you to incorporate it into your life and art, and to disseminate it using your individual talents and capabilities. The options are limitless and creativity and imagination are key assets in this war of liberation.

August, 2013

We did it, 269 is free and recuperating well.

Several weeks ago, we broke into, the death camp that was holding him captive, for his meat. We were observing the farm for a long time, there were many difficulties.

His slaughter date was rapidly approaching and so time was of the essence! We took down two rows of solid steel bars and used an opportunity early in the morning to launch the operation. After a long struggle, we managed to push him on the ramp, in the nick of time. A fully grown bull rescue and the security measures in place, posed a great challenge and so we were waiting for the perfect opportunity to act.

This action is just another step, our ultimate goal is monumental, but we will prevail. We are 269, we will never rest, back down or compromise!

Until they are all free, from mans tyranny!