Posted on 11/11/2001 11:27:13 AM PST by NYCVirago
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 8 — The incidents have not tailed off, even since Sept. 11: a firebombing at a federal corral for wild horses in northeastern California; a fire at a primate research center in New Mexico, and back-to-back break-ins in Iowa, one at a fur farm to release more than 1,000 mink, the other to free pigeons raised for research.
All the incidents occurred in the last several weeks, and loose-knit groups like the Animal Liberation Front or the Earth Liberation Front have claimed responsibility. While many mainstream protest groups have scaled back their activism since the terrorist attacks, radical animal rights groups have not.
State and federal law enforcement officials say they are frustrated and angered by the recent acts of sabotage. Some investigators said they were worried that such vandalism could escalate because the groups involved knew that agents were already overwhelmed with reports of anthrax and terrorism.
"This is a horrible time in the nation's history," said Beth Anne Steele, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Portland, which is looking into the incidents, "and to be adding to that with your own brand of violence just goes beyond the pale. If you look at the general public, there is even less tolerance than there might have been before for terrorism of any kind."
So far, no one has been arrested for the most recent attacks. To the degree that individuals or groups have offered any defense of the actions, they say their conduct constitutes neither violence nor terrorism.
In a statement, a Canadian-based faction of the Animal Liberation Front defended the attacks in Iowa, which took place on Oct. 17 and 18, saying that those involved were "giving these animals a fighting chance for survival."
Several other Iowa farms have been subject to break-ins and the release of animals in recent years, and the group's statement said such acts would continue until the animals' "blood stops spilling."
Several birds and mink died shortly after their self-styled liberators cut holes in fences and nets, when they were hit by cars or fell to prey, the farms' owners said. But the animal liberation group said the animals' release was preferable to the "tortures, gassings and electrocutions" they faced in captivity.
Between them, the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front have claimed responsibility for at least six actions since Sept. 11, and for many others in recent years, including fires at a Vail, Colo., ski resort, which they said impinged on lynx habitat, and a Long Island housing-construction site.
Several months ago, someone set fires at an Oregon tree farm and a genetics research laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle. The Earth Liberation Front claimed responsibility.
The groups have no formal structure, but espouse philosophies, most publicly on the Internet, that support sabotage in defense of animal life or the environment. There have been few arrests in the cases.
Eco-saboteurs, as they are called, are also suspected in a Sept. 8 fire at a McDonald's in Tucson, that caused extensive damage. The initials "A.L.F." and "E.L.F." were spray-painted at the scene.
In addition, the authorities are investigating an incident last Monday at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich., in which two homemade bombs were discovered at two buildings where forestry research is conducted.
The F.B.I., federal firearms agents and the Michigan State Police were called in to defuse the devices. The university said it had received e-mail threats from the Earth Liberation Front earlier this year after it received a grant for research that includes genetic manipulation of trees.
No one has been injured in the incidents, although law enforcement officials say it is only a matter of time before that happens, even if it is not the intent of the perpetrators.
In late September, vandals damaged oil-exploration equipment near Moab, Utah, leaving a postcard near the site that claimed the Earth Liberation Front was involved.
Other recent incidents include a firebombing on Oct. 15 at a corral of the Federal Bureau of Land Management, near Susanville, Calif., in protest of the roundup of the horses.
The Animal Liberation Front in Canada released a communiqué saying it was from the Earth Liberation Front, which said the firebombing was in reaction to the bureau's "continued war against the earth." It added: "In the name of all that is wild we will continue to target industries and organizations that seek to profit by destroying the earth."
One firebomb started a blaze, destroying a barn and about 250 tons of hay and causing a total of about $80,000 in damage. The vandals tore down part of a fence but failed to free the roughly 160 horses at the corral. Three other firebombs, connected to an electronic timer, did not ignite, though a nearby stretch of U.S. 395 was closed for 12 hours while the devices were removed.
While those who commit sabotage have remained anonymous, some animal rights activists have staged public protests recently. In Little Rock, Ark., on Oct. 29, animal rights protesters tried to breach a barricade at the downtown offices of Stephens Inc., a company with ties to a British company, Huntingdon Life Sciences, that conducts animal research.
Several protesters chanted "stop the torture, stop the pain" and wore animal masks, gas masks or bandanas.
About 20 people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct. The organizer, a Philadelphia group called Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, says the company mistreats animals. Huntingdon Life Sciences says it complies with all government regulations on animal research both here and in Britain.
They love nature; let it love them back.
--Boris
These groups are terrorists, plain and simple. They should be dealt with as such.
This is TERRORISM Pure and Simple!
President Bush should treat this terror with the same tenacity as our efforts in Afghanistan!
Why don't these people take a break and consider the new enemy, that all America shares. . .
. . .do these people know how the Taliban creates terror in the minds of the people; the horrible things they do not only to humans of course, but to ANIMALS???
. . .
May be past time to put PETA on the list of TERROR organizations. Shut down their bank accounts,freeze their assets. . .check their passports and visas. . .scholarships et al. . .stop them from boarding planes. . .trains; WHATever. . .detain them and prosecute them.
This morning (11-4-01), during the 22nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Toxicology D.C., I attended and disrupted the speech of Carol S. Auletta, the Senior Director at Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).
After about 10 minutes of listening to her speak, I stood up in the second row and walked to the aisle and starting my speech about the abuse of animals at HLS. I thought that it was only going to take about 30 seconds for security to escort me out, so when I finished my prepared speech, I started chanting, "There's No Excuse for Animal Abuse, Close HLS!" for a minute or so before I was escorted out by hotel security.
The whole hall was filled with vivisectors, so it was interesting to see the shocked looks on their faces. When I first started talking, Ms. Auletta's jaw dropped and I heard her say "Oh no!"
Lance
GO VEGAN! FOR YOURSELF- FOR THE EARTH - AND FOR THE ANIMALS!
check out
www.animaldefenseleague.com
ANIMAL DEFENSE LEAGUE - NEW JERSEY
More...
For: blackheart_ezine@hotmail.com
Thomas@Blackheart Ezine
Subject: interview
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 14:33:13 EDT
Thomas,
Please let me introduce myself and three other ALF members. I'm Virginia, white female, age 40. Ann is a white female, age 25. Rick is a black male, age 30. James is white male, age 22. We have never met. We have communicated over the internet for 5 years when we were interviewed by Craig Burton for his novel about ALF, entitled "A Hatful of Pain." Our names are fictitious because ALF is considered a terrorist group in the USA.
ONCE THEY DO THE CRIME THEY ARE AFRAID TO DO THE TIME...
This guy wants your help...
November 7, 2001
See below...
On December 12th of 2000 Daniel Scarengella and I were leaving a protest at Barbatsulli Bros. Furs in Garden City LI, immediately after my car was pulled over by detectives in an unmarked car. Daneil who was driving my car was arrested and the officers demanded to impound my car. I was told to take my schoolbag, surrender my keys and walk away from the scene by my car westbound on 10th St. in Garden City. When I questioned the arrest of Daniel, I too was arrested, charged with Obstruction of Governmental Administration. When at the police precinct I was questioned and denied the presence of my attorney, fellow activists who came to the precinct were told I was not arrested and to leave the precinct, and I was beaten by officers during 3 instances. The beatings stemmed from one detective's assumptions that I was a homosexual, he commented on certain items and accessories (rainbow necklace, and pokemon school binder) I had on me and the sexuality of myself and Daniel. In response to the detective's anti gay hate rethoric I commented in rebutal to the detective and was subsequently hit. I sustained beatings 2 more times while at the precinct, the worst resulted in the spliting of my right eyebrow, I bled profusly from the small wound above my eye and was later hospitalized(WHAAAA!) all my other injuries were minor. I was treated by Winthop Hospital Doctors and then released to be booked at the Nassau County Detention Center. There I was jailed until court in the morning.
In court the following morning I was informed I was being charged with assault on a police officer in the second degree in addition to my obstruction charge, my bail was $2,500 and was paid by fellow activists within 2 days. In June of this year a Grand Jury was called to investigate the police's claim that I somehow assaulted them, I took the stand (an action not commonly taken) to dispute any claims that police may have made against me. Later in June the Grand Jury indicted me on the charge of assault in the second degree, and I have still have yet been given the claims made by the officers. I have refused to even have talks about any plea bargains from the Nassau District Attorney's Office based on the simple fact that I am not only innocent in this case but I was victimized and beaten. Due to my refusal to accept any plea bargains I will be taking this case to a jury trail beginning on November 26th and running until at least November 30th. It is here that I ask you for help. I am facing a maximum sentence of 11years imprisonment, I need all the court support I can get. Please make up flyers with the following info!, please attend any and all of the courtdates during that week!, and please help me in any way you can legally! If and when you attend my court dates please be respectful, dress well and be prepared to be searched by law enforcement as you enter the courthouse.
Winning this case is exceptionally important me for so many reasons (of course, we all know it's not becuause he's afraid of going to prison, it's because he's concerned for OTHERS. I have seen and felt what it is like to have your freedoms and life taken away and that plagues me every day, but bothers me most is that one day these rouge officers may in fact kill a homosexual whom they arrest or beat an arrestee into a coma because of their hate and bigotry. I cannot have the thought of another individual in the future enduring a beating at the hands of these officers on my conscience (YEAH, RIGHT). It is for these reasons that I will fight this case tooth and nail so that an eventual justice may be served, and it is for all those reasons that I beg for your help!
Love and Liberation,
Andy Stepanian
BE SURE TO ATTEND EACH AND EVERY COURT DATE NOV 27TH-30TH!
MOST IMPORTANT DATES WILL BE NOVEMBER 27TH AND NOVEMBER 30TH! MEET ON NORTH STEPS TO THE COURTHOUSE AT OLD COUNTRY ROAD AND COUNTY SEAT DRIVE AT 8:30AM SHARP!!!!! (activists and supporters will walk in as a group at 9am sharp! do not be late!)
*Directions by car*
Take The Long Island Expressway to Exit 37 (Willis Ave. South) Follow Willis Ave. South Towards Minneola ~5miles Willis Ave Will End At Old Country Road Directly In Front of You Will Be The Courthouse Parking Can Be Found On Courthouse South Side Meet on North Steps at 8:30am!
*Directions By Train*
From NYC's Penn Station:
- Take The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to the Minneolla Stop
- Walk south on Minneola Ave 1/2 block
- Make a left onto Old Country Road
- Walk 3 blocks east allong Old Country Road
- Courthouse will be on your right just after County Seat Dr. Meet on North Steps at 8:30am!
ELF Action Against BLM Wild Horse Facility
Communique
October 17, 2001
Corvalis, California
In opposition to the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) continued war against the Earth - the Earth Liberation Front targeted the Wild Horse Holding Facility in Corvallis, California on October 17th, 2001. For years, the BLM has rounded up thousands of wild horses and burros to clear public land for grazing cattle. Many of these wild animals are sent to slaughter.
We cut through and removed four 60 foot sections of wooden fence to corrals holding more than 200 wild horses in order to free them from capitvity.
After moving domestic horses to a safe distance we set four timed incendiary devices aimed at destroying two barns, two vehicles and one office building.
In the name of all that is wild we will continue to target industries and organizations that seek to profit by destroying the Earth.
Earth Liberation Front
-Communique End-
(note - in this communique, the location referred to doesn't exist, but we assume this is a claim of responsibility for the Lichtfield facility fire which took place on October 15th near Susanville, California)
This was all found on their webpage.
Below is a staement from the defence team:
Free Sentenced to 23 Years!
Free and Critter Legal Defense Committee Yesterday, June 11th, Jeff "Free" Luers was sentenced to nearly 23 years on 11 charges ranging from Arson I to Attempted Criminal Mischief stemming from two incidents last year in Eugene, Oregon.
Free had admitted to criminal mischief regarding a truck fire at Romania Chevrolet last summer. At the sentencing he read a statement taking accountability for the Romania fire, and emphasizing the care he took to ensure no one would be injured. He said:
"It cannot be said that I am unfeeling or uncaring. My heart is filled with love and compassion. I fight to protect life....all life. Not to take it. It's not an exaggeration to say that we're experiencing a period of extinction equal to that of the dinosaurs. 40,000 species go extinct each year, yet we continue to pollute and exploit the natural world... I will not ask this court to grant me leniency. All I ask is that you believe the sincerity of my words, and that you believe that my actions, whether or not you believe them to be misguided, stem from the love I have in my heart."
The judge responded by saying that he "never doubted Free's sincerity". He stated that Free's political beliefs would not influence the sentencing, that he would be sentenced "solely on the severity of the crimes". Yet Free recieved a sentence harsher than that of many murderers and rapists. We are not so naive as to say we're surprised with the sentence, but an analogy I shared with Free on the phone yesterday is that we've had someone with a clenched fist standing in front of us for a year saying "I'm going to punch you." Even though we were expecting it, it still took our breath away. The judge made many comments during the trial that indicated he'd already decided the outcome. He was often seen completely ingnoring the testimony, typing on his laptop instead of listening. An appeal is already underway.
Frustratingly, throughout the past year, Free had been forced to remain silent about his actions at Romania Chevrolet, due to the fact that the State insisted on linking the two incidents, Romania and Tyree Oil Company, together. The judge denied many motions to separate the two. Free has stated and maintains that he had no involvement in the attempted arson at Tyree Oil.
The Legal Defense Committee asks for your continuing support of Free and Critter and other Prisoners of War. Make no mistake...a war is being waged on the Earth and all its creatures. Do not participate in the State's campaign to marginalize and incapacitate those who take radical action in defense of the Earth. Failure to support our political prisoners is tantamount to santioning repression by the State.
No suprise seeing you here trying to separate yourself from them. Too bad it won't work.
You own these guys ferret, lock stock and barrel.
Are you and your band done helping the shop owners of Portland and Eugene replace the windows you guys smashed yet?
Here's hoping a couple of dozen more of you break your backs falling out of trees....
L
1996
Oct. 28; Detroit, Oregon.
A U.S. Forest Service pickup is torched on the parking lot of the Detroit Ranger District headquarters. The saboteurs tag the building with "Earth Liberation Front" and other graffiti. A plastic jug rigged as an incendiary device is later found on the roof. It did not go off. Damages: $15,000. Joint ALF / ELF claim.
October 30, 1996. Near Eugene, Oregon. Arson destroyed U.S. Forest Service Oakridge Ranger Station south of Eugene. Cost estimate, $5.3 million. Not officially recognized as an ELF arson; disgruntled law enforcement officers assert that a joint ALF / ELF claim was received but not published.
1997
March 14, 1997. Near Eugene, Oregon. Tree spiking at Robinson-Scott timber harvest site in the Mackenzie River watershed, Willamette National Forest. Joint ALF / ELF claim.
July 21, 1997. Redmond, Oregon. Arson of Cavel West meat packing plant in Redmond. Estimated cost over $1 million. Joint ALF / ELF claim.
Nov. 29; 1997. Hines, Oregon. Arsonists destroy a U.S. Bureau of Land Management horse barn, chutes, pens and equipment. Four hundred horses are released, but they are later recaptured. The Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front take joint responsibility. Damages: $474,000.
1998
July 3 1998. Middleton, Wisconsin. Break-in and release of 171 mink and ferrets from United Vaccines laboratory. Joint ALF / ELF claim.
June 28 1998. Boston, Massachusetts. Sprayed red paint on the Mexican Consulate in Boston to protest the treatment of peasants in Chiapas, Mexico. ELF claim without ALF.
June 2; Olympia, Washington. Two U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife stations, miles apart, go up in flames on the same morning. The Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front take joint responsibility for both of the attacks. Damages: $1.9 million.
Oct. 10, 1998. Rock Springs, Wyoming. Would-be saboteurs cut the locks off horse pens at a BLM corral, freeing about 40 wild horses. Failed incendiaries are found next to a pickup truck and a building. The Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front take joint responsibility. Damages: negligible.
Oct. 19, 1998. Vail, Colorado. Fires ravage a portion of the Vail ski resort, seven structures destroyed: 4 ski lifts, a restaurant, a picnic facility, and a utility building. The Earth Liberation Front later claims it torched the resort because of proposed expansion into the declining habitat of lynx. Damages: $12 million.
October 26, 1998: Powers, Michigan. Release of 5,000 mink at Tom Pipkorn's Mink Farm near Hermansville in the upper peninsula. An estimated 500 are run over on roads, starve, drown in a swimming pool or disappear. Damages: $100,000. ELF claim of responsibility faxed to Associated Press offices by North American Animal Liberation Front.
December 26, 1998: Oregon. Arson of U.S. Forest Industries' corporate headquarters in Medford, Oregon. The three alarm blaze resulted in over $500,000 in damages. ELF claimed responsibility in a communique.
Dec. 27, 1998. Medford, Oregon. Fire ravages the headquarters of U.S. Forest Industries. An Earth Liberation Front communiqué issued weeks later by the Liberation Collective in Portland, Oregon says the strike was payback to a company it accused of razing forests and killing wild animals for profit. Damages: $700,000.
1999
Aug. 7, 1999. Escanaba, Michigan. A fishing boat is set ablaze in the driveway of a veterinarian who once worked as a mink rancher. A garage door is tagged with graffiti 18 inches high: "FUR IS MURDER. E.L.F." The Earth Liberation Front later claims in an Internet posting it targeted the veterinarian after finding a "Fur is Enough" sign outside his home. Damages: $15,000.
Dec. 25, 1999. Monmouth, Oregon. Fire burns down a Boise Cascade timber management office. "Let this be a lesson to all greedy multinational corporations who don't respect their ecosystems," the Earth Liberation Front writes in a claim of responsibility to The Oregonian. "The elves are watching." Damages: $1 million.
Dec. 31; Lansing, Mich. Arson breaks out in the offices of Catherine Ives, Room 324, Michigan State University's Agriculture Hall, a campus landmark. The Earth Liberation Front later issues a communiqué saying it doused an office with gasoline and set it ablaze because the university financed development of genetically modified crops to force developing nations in Asia, Latin America and Africa to switch from natural crop plants to gentically engineered sweet potatoes, corn, bananas and pineapples. Monsanto and USAID are major funders of the research and promotional work being done through Michigan State University. According to local newspapers, the fire caused some $400,000 in damage. "Cremate Monsanto, Long live the E.L.F. On to the next GE target!"
2000
Jan. 23; Bloomington, Ind. Fire destroys a luxury home under construction at the Sterling Woods Development. Investigators find a cryptic message spray-painted in black on a sign near the house: "No Sprawl - ELF." Damages $200,000. An ELF statement obtained by the Environment News Service says, "The house was targeted because the sprawling development it is located in is in the Lake Monroe Watershed. This is the drinking water supply for the town of Bloomington, Indiana and the surrounding area. It is already being jeopardized by existing development and roads."
April 30; Bloomington, Ind. At least six pieces of logging and heavy construction equipment are sabotaged and a trailer full of wood chips is set ablaze at a road construction site just outside the city. A communiqué from the Earth Liberation Front states its plan was to punish those developing wooded areas around Bloomington, which "have turned what was once forested land into parking lots, luxury houses for rich scum and expanded roads." Damages: $75,000.
July 20; Rhinelander, Wis. Vandals hack down thousands of experimental trees, mostly poplars, and spray-paint vehicles at a U.S. Forest Service research station. The Earth Liberation Front claims the attack was against bioengineering, although researchers say the trees were bred naturally to grow faster and resist diseases. Damages: $1 million.
Sept. 9; Bloomington, Ind. Fire erupts at the headquarters of the Monroe County Republican Party Committee headquarters. Investigators say a flammable liquid was poured on the building and ignited. The arson was a reminder, according to the Earth Liberation Front communiqué, that it would not sit quietly as politicians pushed for plans to extend an interstate highway. Damages: $1,500.
Oct. 18; Shoals, Ind. Vandals find four pieces of heavy logging equipment in the Martin State Forest and cut hoses, slash seats, destroy gauges and pour sand in the engines, fuel tanks and radiators. They leave spray-painted graffiti including, "Earth Raper," "Go Cut in Hell," and "ELF." Damages: $55,000.
Nov. 27; Niwot, Colo. Arson hits one of the first luxury homes going up in a new subdivision. The Earth Liberation Front later sends a note, made of letters clipped from magazines, to the Boulder Weekly newspaper: "Viva la revolution! The Boulder ELF burned the Legend Ridge mansion on Nov. 27th." The underground group explains in a follow-up communiqué that the arson was driven by defeat of a statewide ballot measure to control growth. Damages: $500,000.
Dec. 9; Middle Island, N.Y. Fire erupts in a condominium under construction. The Earth Liberation Front claims responsibility, saying the homes were "future dens of the wealthy elite." The group, announcing "an unbounded war on urban sprawl," claims it checked for occupants - human and animal - in 16 condos before setting incendiaries in them. Damages: $200,000.
Dec. 19; Miller Place, N.Y. A house under construction goes up in flames. "Building homes for the wealthy should not even be a priority," the Earth Liberation Front writes in its communiqué. "Forests, farms and wetlands are being replaced with a sea of houses, green chemical lawns, blacktop and roadkill." Damages: $50,000.
Dec. 30; Mount Sinai, N.Y. Three luxury homes under construction are set ablaze, and a fourth is spray-painted with graffiti: "If you build it we will burn it." The ELF issues a communiqué saying, "This hopefully provided a firm message that we will not tolerate the destruction of our island." Damages: $160,000.
2001
Jan. 2; Glendale, Oregon. Fire ravages the offices of Superior Lumber Co., the town of 770's leading employer. The arson is the third holiday conflagration of an Oregon timber firm in as many years. It summons investigators from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Damages: $400,000.
Feb. 15; Suffolk County, New York. Charged with arson and arson conspiracy in connection with the Long Island, New York arsons, were Connor Cash, 19. Cash entered a not guilty plea. Charged with arson conspiracy were Jared McIntyre, 17, Matthew Rammelkamp, 16, and George Mashkow Jr., 17. Cash, of Sound Beach, was charged with conspiring with the others to burn the Mount Sinai homes Dec. 30. Prosecutors said he procured the gasoline for the incendiary devices and instructed the others to carry out the torching because as an adult, he feared he would face greater penalties if caught. McIntyre, of Coram, and the other two were accused of carrying out the Dec. 9 arson of four new homes in Middle Island and plotting to torch a Center Moriches duck farm and a McDonald's in Miller Place. Mashkow, of Coram, and McIntyre were charged in the Dec. 19 torching of a home under construction in Miller Place. Rammelkamp, of Miller Place, and McIntyre were charged with carrying out the torching of the Mount Sinai homes. As part of plea bargains with federal prosecutors, George Mashkow and Matthew Rammelkamp pleaded guilty as adults and agreed to cooperate with investigations into ELF and a related group, the Animal Liberation Front. Jared McIntyre also pleaded guilty to arson conspiracy. Contacts:
ALF: Kate Fedor, xxx-xxx-xxxx.
ELF: Liberation Collective, Craig Rosbraugh, Portland, Oregon xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Unofficial: Lance Robertson, sympathetic reporter, Eugene Register-Guard, xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Reminds me of the concluision to Rainbow Six :)
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