ALF Animal Liberation Front

1
ALFAnimal Liberation Front

• By Maricela Valentin
• Alejandra Serrano
• Jaime Hernandez

2
Definition

• These extremists have used arson, harassment,
  direct threats, animal releases, and razor blade
  letters to intimidate individuals and businesses
  to preserve to be abusive to animals, or
  destructive to the environment

3
Ideology

• The ALFs ideology
• is one of the unbarring
• support for the
• liberation of captive
• animals by any means,
• including criminal
• activity.

4
DemographicsAn Interview with David Barbarash

• Since it's an underground movement, the precise
  demographics is obviously unknown
• Basic idea based on who's been arrested and
  convicted
• There've been a fair number of studies done on
  the animal rights movement, and they used to say
  the average animal rights activist was a
  middle-aged, middle-class white woman. Not sure
  that's still true
• Doesnt consider themselves as a Terrorist group
  hence, wheres the body count?

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Contd. (Interview)

• And I also know that if we give a shit about
  anything else besides ourselves and our money,
  then we need to start doing something, whether
  it's joining the ALF or ELF underground, writing
  a letter, picketing in front of a fur store, or
  stopping a Wal-mart from coming into your
  community. Simply being born a biological human
  doesn't automatically make you a human being and
  give you membership in human society. In order to
  become fully human and to be a member of any sort
  of human society we would care to join, we have
  to take responsibility - take active
  responsibility - for the actions of our species
  and of our selves. Sitting on the fence just
  doesn't cut it. You might as well be dead. David
  Barbarash, 2002

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AFL in the US

• ALF activists in the US have generally cohered
  to the movement started mandate of protecting
  human life during the course of the direct
  actions while some simultaneously causing severe
  economic danger to varying retailers, fur
  farmers, laboratories in the US.
• The Animal Liberation Front isn't really an
  organization, but more of an international
  movement of animal liberation activists who
  believe conventional methods of protest aren't
  enough to obtain the goals of animal liberation,
  and that there is a moral justification for
  taking action outside the law.

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Origins

• ALFs roots can be traced in 19th century, and a
  small group of activists called the Bands of
  Mercy. Set up in 1824
• 1965, the group was re-created, calling
  themselves Hunt Saboteurs Association
• They layed false scents, blew hunting horns to
  send the hounds in the wrong direction, set off
  smoke bombs, and members lay down between the
  hunters and the fox.

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Mission/Objective

• The ALF Mission Statement To effectively
  allocate resources (time and money) to end the
  "property" status of nonhuman animals.
• The Objective of the Mission To abolish
  institutionalized animal exploitation because it
  assumes that animals are property.

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ALFs Aims

• According to Robin Webb, the ALF's British press
  officer, the ALF's stated aims are
• 1. To liberate animals from suffering or
  potential suffering and place them in good
  permanent homes or, where appropriate, release
  them into their natural environment.
• 2. To damage or destroy property and
  equipment associated with animal abuse by
• (a) taking that property out of the arena
  of animal
• abuse so it can no longer cause harm, and
• (b) inflicting economic loss on the
  abusers with the
• intention of driving them out of business.

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Acts of Domestic Terrorism

• December 2000, 11 luxury homes under construction
  in Phoenix, Arizona were destroyed by arson.
• Each of the arsons occurred during the evening
  hours.
• Warnings left at three of the arson sites were
  signed at either the Coalition to Save the
  Preserve or the C.S.P., North Phoenix Mountain
  Preserves Unit.
• Property damages associated with the arsons is
  estimated in excess of 5 million dollars.

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Acts of Domestic Terrorism Cont.

• NOVEMBER 12, 2001
• Burglary and Vandalism
• San Diego, California
• (One act of Domestic Terrorism)
•      On November 12, 2001, the San Diego
  (California) Police Department responded to a
  burglary and vandalism report at Sierra
  Biomedical. A Sierra Biomedical van was covered
  with red paint and graffiti referencing the ALF.
  It was subsequently determined that toxic
  chemicals believed to be acid and bleach had been
  deliberately poured throughout the research
  facility. Additional graffiti in black spray
  paint stating that VIVISECTION IS FRAUD and
  THE ALF WAS HERE was also found at the
  facility. Damages were estimated to exceed
  500,000. The ALF claimed responsibility for this
  incident via an e-mail sent to the vice president
  and general manager of Sierra Biomedical.

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Visalia, California

• (One act of Domestic Terrorism)
•      In the early morning of February 20, 2001,
  the Tulare County (California) Fire Department
  responded to a suspicious fire at the Delta and
  Pine
• Land Company in Visalia. Damage to the facility
  was estimated to exceed 200,000. On February 25,
  2001, the ELF claimed responsibility for the
  arson via an Urgent News Advisory on its web
  site. The advisory described how the arson was
  carried out. In its claim of responsibility, the
  ELF stated that the company was targeted due to
  its work with genetically engineered seeds.

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Terrorism by Event
14
Terrorist Activity by Classification
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Victims

• The victims include but are not limited to
  Farmers and Realtors, research laboratories
  personnel, cruisers, zoos, fast food restaurants,
  forestry, and large corporations.

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Fur Wars

• Animal Liberation Front declared war on fur
  farmers and was going all out in an intense
  campaign for mink liberation.
• On June 7th the A.L.F. made their first attack
  against a Utah fur farm.
• No fur products sold here anymore.

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Fur WarsContd.

• On June, A.L.F. struck in Washington state, which
  80 minks were liberated.
• On July 4th, Langley, British Columbia the A.L.F.
  raided the Akagami mink ranch and released 400
  animals.
• On the same night, they raided the Latzig mink
  ranch in Howard Lake, Minnesota. Another 1000
  mink were liberated.

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Fur Wars Contd.

• The next target was Holt Mink Ranch in South
  Jordan, Utah.
• - Utah fur farmers were scared, which lead
  them to install heavy duty fencing with aluminum
  plates along the top that make a lot of noise
  when someone tries to go over them.
• - A.L.F. took it apart, cut it down, and
  rolled up. They also smashed the new locks on
  all of the cages, 3000 mink were released, but
  police group arrived and the group had to
  evacuate.
• - 35, 000 of damage

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La Fur Protest

• On February 11, 2006,
• there was an anti-fur
• protest in downtown
• Los Angeles (Chinatown).

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LSU Rat Liberation

• On April 22, 2005, in Louisiana State University,
  members of A.L.F. broke into the lab and removed
  21 mice.
• Aquariums were smashed, windows broken and paint
  stripper poured on outer walls. Spray paint was
  used for slogans and further vandalism of the
  labs, and the locks were glued on doors to any
  rooms that housed no animals.

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LSU Rat Liberation

• We acted as operatives not only of compassion,
  but good science. Animal research is not only
  cruel but hazardous -- as data derived from the
  animal models is not applicable to humans and
  therefore dangerous.
• Our aim in inflicting as much economic damage as
  possible is to drive up the cost of animal
  experimentation until this sadistic
  psuedo-science is no longer economically
  feasible.

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LSU Rat LiberationContd.
23
Free Dogs Act

• On December 5, 2001 in New York, ALF raided
  Marshall Farm York.
• - Marshall Farm is a breeder of beagles and
  ferrets for animal research laboratories across
  the U.S. Huntingdon Life Sciences.
• ALF liberated 30 beagle dogs and 10 ferrets.

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Free Dogs ActContd.
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References

• ALF.com/aflmission.htm. Retrieved February 23,
  2006
• www.FBI.com. Retrieved March 1, 2006
• www.animalliberationfront.com. Retrieved March 4,
  2006.
• http//www.derrickjensen.org/barb.html.
  Retrieved March 5, 2006
• www.en.wikipedia.org/. Retrieved on March 1,
  2006.
• www.furcommission.com. Retrieved on February 27,
  2006.
• United Sates., Congress House., et al. (2002)
  Eco-terrorism and lawlessness on the national
  forests oversight hearing before the
  Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health of the
  Committee on Resources, U.S. House of
  Representatives. Washington, DC U.S. G.P.O