SPECIAL REPORT: PETA and PCRM Tied to SHACkled Animal Rights Militants

Email Alert ^ | 5/28/2004 | Staff

[brityank]

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May 28, 2004

	SPECIAL REPORT: PETA and PCRM Tied to SHACkled Animal Rights Militants A stunning development in the domestic war on terror unfolded this week, as seven hard-core militants from the violent animal rights group SHAC (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty) were taken into federal custody on terrorism-related charges. In addition, SHAC itself (which, it turns out, is an honest-to-goodness corporation organized in Delaware), was named in a five-count federal indictment -- which outlined violations of the Animal Enterprise Protection Act as well as a conspiracy to stalk innocent victims across state lines. The indictment charges that SHAC's tactics include "assault including spraying cleaning fluid into one's eyes," "smashing the windows of one's house," firebombing cars, threatening to "kill or injure one's partner or children," and "arranging for an undertaker to call to collect one's body." The federal government also alleges that SHAC "listed the names and addresses" of various targeted Americans on its website. "In some instances, SHAC also listed home phone numbers; names of employees' spouses; the names, ages and birth dates of their children and where the children attended school; license plate numbers and churches attended by employees and their families." The seven accused animal-rights radicals each face between three and five years in prison. "This is not activism," said Christopher Christie, the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey. "This is a group of lawless thugs attacking innocent men, women and children." In the New York Times, Christie added: "Their business, quite frankly, is thuggery and intimidation. Our goal is to remove uncivilized people from civilized society." Considering the increasingly blurry line between "underground" activist violence and those animal rights groups considered "mainstream," we're hopeful that the U.S. Justice Department's definition of "uncivilized" includes not just shadowy bomb-throwers, but their high-profile support system as well. Indeed, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) communications director Lisa Lange defended SHAC's thugs in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, calling them "longtime activists and well respected." And responding to last week's U.S. Senate hearing on animal-rights violence, PETA's official statement ominously warned: "Those who make peaceful change impossible make violent revolution inevitable." On Wednesday, we pointed out in a national news release that PETA and its quasi-medical front group (the misnamed lawsuit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, or PCRM) have clear connections to at least three of the seven SHAC arrestees. Not surprisingly, PCRM's press conference announcing a against the estate of the late diet doctor Robert Atkins yesterday was closed to the public -- likely so PCRM could avoid answering questions about its ties to the SHAC gang. FBI agents raided SHAC's New Jersey office and the home of Seattle anarchist Josh Harper a year ago in connection with an investigation into two skyscraper-clearing smoke bombs planted by SHAC activists in 2002. Harper, among those arrested Wednesday, wrote in 2001: "I see a spark of hope in every broken window [and] every torched police car ... Let us increase the momentum." That same year he told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that his ultimate goal is "the complete collapse of industrial civilization." Also in 2001, Harper was awarded a $5,000 grant from PETA. It's an odd coincidence, but not out of character for PETA, which regards the terrorist Animal Liberation Front as "an army of the kind." In addition to Harper, two other SHAC arrestees with ties to PETA and PCRM are Andy Stepanian and Kevin Kjonaas [video link], both long-time radicals with deep roots in SHAC. Kjonaas co-signed a series of intimidating letters with PCRM president Neal Barnard in 2001, aimed at getting biomedical and pharmaceutical companies to stop contracting with a New Jersey laboratory whose work includes animal testing. Talking to the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002, Kjonaas openly defended violent tactics against AIDS and cancer researchers, including "a car being blown up in a driveway or animals being liberated from a lab." The San Jose Mercury News speculates that Wednesday's arrests may also be connected to the investigation into Daniel Andreas San Diego, a federal fugitive wanted for setting 10-pound ammonium nitrate bombs outside two SHAC-targeted biomedical firms last year. Based on unsealed FBI testimony, the Mercury News reported yesterday that on the morning of one of those bombings, Kevin Kjonaas made telephone calls to Oakland activists who had shared apartments with San Diego. Stepanian is another solid PETA connection. He served 3 months in jail for throwing a brick through the window of a Long Island fur store in 2000. In a September 10, 2003 message to a "Yahoo News" listserv operated by the Long Island-based Animal Defense League (ADL), he identified himself as "Andy Stepanian, PETA/ADL." [login required to view]. And at the January 2004 "Total Liberation Fest" event held in Erie, Pennsylvania, Stepanian spelled out the protest strategy that may have put him on the FBI's radar screen: "If you have a group of friends that want to go do a protest, go do a protest. Go write them some letters. Go send them some e-mails. Go throw a brick through their window. I don't care -- whatever it is that you need to do to get them out of their business, go do it." [audio link] In an April 12, 2004 message to a Long Island animal-rights Internet mailing list, Stepanian encouraged activists to join an April 26 PETA protest against KFC, noting that "PETA has been very supportive of our efforts thru providing us with literature [sic], phone lists, and other resources." Charging seven violent malcontents with felonies isn't likely to stop the current wave of animal-rights terrorism. Some activists are already publicly commenting that "arrests will not deter us, but just anger us even more ... This is the time for sacrafice [sic] - we must prove a point to the opposition. Everyone, in addition to showing jail support, turn up the heat." And then, of course, there's PETA. With a history of funding violent criminals, we don't expect that group to change its ways unless it's forced to do so. Here's hoping that happens soon.
	Week in Review If you've been reading the Center for Consumer Freedom's Daily Headlines this week... You know that Canada's highest court finally lowered the gavel on an anti-biotech activist and seed thief. You saw how animal-rights wolves in physicians' clothing are trying to scare Americans away from eating fish. You learned that a food-cop-inspired, deep-fried food scare is much ado about nothing. You know that reckless green groups continue to stonewall genetically enhanced food at the expense of the starving Third World. You learned the animal-rights motive behind a lawsuit attacking a popular low-carb diet. If you know someone who should be reading the Center for Consumer Freedom Daily Headlines, drop them an e-mail telling them to start!
	SMORGASBORD: Stories You Might Have Missed While our daily headlines provide an in-depth look at the biggest stories related to anti-consumer food and beverage activism, there are dozens more that we simply can't get to. Here's a sampling of what's been on our plate today. Fox News columnist on school lunches: "The driving forces behind the junk science-fueled scare are the usual suspects -- anti-meat and environmental activist groups, and politicians who do the groups' bidding." Super-size sea change: "Journalists are beginning to catch on to the fact that [Morgan Spurlock's] documentary, which has received fawning reviews, is actually a repulsive and dishonest piece of puerile entertainment -- vomit and rectal exams tarted up with sociology and politics." Company under attack by the misnamed Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine fires back with the truth: "It's this animal rights activist-begging group who like to tell part truths and like to use, pick and choose, which part of the truth they let out so that it supports their case." Austria enacts radical animal rights legislation "aimed primarily at poultry and other livestock" and "outlaws the use of lions and other wild animals in circuses." Research adds one more nail in the coffin for fake fish scares: Oily fish in pregnancy wards off asthma in babies.

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[brityank]

Terrorism Alert

          Will the Justice Department really nail these domestic terrorists? Sorry to make you laugh out loud ... ... ...

[Imal]

Yet another front in the War on Terrorism.

Lock them up and throw away the key.

[sport]

Bump

[tubebender]

Will ELF be next...

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[Coleus]

Animal activists charged with terrorism

Animal Rights, Abortion and Socialism

 

[Carry_Okie]

RICO

[Dont Mention the War]

Wow, that's a nice newsletter they put out. Shame they charge so much just to email a copy of what you can read on the stire for free.

[brityank]

RICO

ROTFLMAO!

You think that this government of bureaucratic enablers would seriously consider really eliminating some of their more helpful assistants? I know you know better, Mark -- you've been there and done that and wrote the Book ^.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[brityank]

To be honest, I didn't realise that they now charge; I signed on shortly after they started up for free. I'd still sign up; the comprehensive letter with direct links is a valuable source of direct and factual info. (Plus it's less than I donated!)

Hopefully, you also support Free Republic; it too is 'Free'.

[Carry_Okie]

You think that this government of bureaucratic enablers would seriously consider really eliminating some of their more helpful assistants? Mark -- you've been there and done that and wrote the Book ^.

Very good line.

I take it you think I don't have a chance in hell of making anything happen. So far, you'd be right. A lot of people went to sleep when Bush got elected. You'd think one smart person with with vision, the time to build a case, and a couple of nickels would want to make the jump, but so far, no. I'm still trying though. I'm setting up a mechanism to validate data by repeated experiment. I've been sitting on that patent application for over three years without a first office action so I might as well get started.

Still, it is quite pleasing to muse upon the thought of Ingrid Newkirk protecting animals in Attica.

[Freemeorkillme]

BTTT

Funny how PETA calls SHAC members "longtime activists and well respected." Funny isn't the word.

I challenge PETA to up the action and defend the SHACled on billboard and in print with their "in your face" style of PR.

I wonder if there are any ties between any of these domestic terrorist organizations listed in these articles and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, given yesterdays defense of baby brain scramblers. A stretch?? Abortion and Eco-terror linked?? Same players, same plans?? All depends on whether one sees a big picture or not.

[Freemeorkillme]

FBI targets 'terrorism' by animal, eco-activists

Thursday, May 27, 2004
BY BRIAN T. MURRAY
Star-Ledger Staff

The federal indictment unveiled yesterday against Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty is only part of a larger assault federal authorities have launched against alleged animal rights extremists and others behind what the FBI dubbed "special interest terrorism."

"The FBI has made the prevention and investigation of animal rights extremists (and) eco-terrorism ... a domestic terrorism investigative priority," said John E. Lewis, a deputy assistant FBI director in counterterrorism.

His remarks were made last week before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, which was told that a special federal task force has delved into 190 investigations involving extremists in the animal rights and environmental movements.

"The extremists' efforts have broadened to include a multinational campaign of harassment, intimidation and coercion against animal testing companies and any companies or individuals doing business with those targeted companies," Lewis said.

"The harassment is designed to inflict increasing economic damage until the company is forced to cancel its contracts or business relationship with the original target," he added.

Lewis said the extremists have committed more than 1,100 criminal acts in the United States since 1976, resulting in damages conservatively estimated at $110 million. But he said it was just two years ago that some animal rights activists abandoned a pledge of nonviolence and began a series of arsons, bombings, assaults and harassment campaigns.

Lewis named SHAC along with the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front in describing the tactics.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, however, questioned yesterday whether legitimate activism was under attack.

"Some of the names being bandied about in this instance are longtime activists and well respected," said PETA spokeswoman Lisa Lange, referring to the SHAC indictment.

Scientific researchers and corporations affected by the alleged extremists also are going before the Senate committee, supporting FBI reports that animal rights extremists have turned to campaigns of violence.

"It has gone beyond mere activism and protests," said David Martosko, research director for the Center for Consumer Freedom, a nonprofit group supporting the food industry and animal researchers.

"It's about total animal liberation, and the view of many of these people that anything is justified, even violence, to stop the rest of us from eating meat or continuing to conduct research that cured polio and many other diseases," he added.

The center joined representatives from Kentucky Fried Chicken in asserting before the Senate committee that PETA supports violent tactics, a claim PETA denies.

PETA responded yesterday with its own statement to the Senate committee by quoting John F. Kennedy.

"Those who make peaceful change impossible make violent revolution inevitable," said PETA.

The group added that, "KFC is attempting to create the very frustrations that would compel other factions of any movement to rise up against the impossibility of properly seeking change."