Background

The ALF's roots can be traced to 19th century England, and a small group of activists called the Bands of Mercy, which was set up in 1824 to thwart fox hunters. In 1965, the group was re-created, this time called the Hunt Saboteurs Association; it laid 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. In 1972, activists Ronnie Lee and Cliff Goodman revived the 19th century name and set up the Band of Mercy, a more militant group, which attacked hunters' vehicles by slashing tires and breaking windows. They progressed to attacking pharmaceutical laboratories and seal-hunting boats. On November 10, 1973, they set fire to a building in Milton Keynes, as part of a strategy to make insurance prohibitive for what they saw as exploitative industries, and thus began a campaign of arson that continues to this day.

In August 1974, Lee and Goodman were arrested for allegedly taking part in a raid on Oxford Laboratory Animal Colonies in Bicester, which earned them the name the "Bicester Two." They were sentenced to three years in prison, but released after serving one.

After his release, Goodman allegedly became the first-ever police informer on the animal liberation movement whereas Lee emerged from prison more militant than before. He organized 30 activists to set up a new liberation campaign, and in 1976, in order to show that the new campaign was prepared to intimidate but was also compassionate, he named it the Animal Liberation Front.

There are conflicting accounts of when the ALF first emerged in the United States. Freeman Wicklund and Kim Stallwood say the first ALF action there was in 1977, when activists released two dolphins from a research facility in Hawaii. Others say the first action was a raid on the New York University Medical Center on March 14, 1979, when activists removed one cat, two dogs, and two guinea pigs. Ingrid Newkirk, the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says that the first ALF cell in the U.S. was set up in late 1982, with the first raid taking place on December 24 that year on Howard University, when 24 cats were removed, some of whose back legs had been crippled in an experiment.

One of the most important ALF actions in the U.S., according to Best, was the May 1984 raid on the University of Pennsylvania's head-injury laboratory, where primates were being struck in the head with pneumatic devices, and subjected to g-forces up to 3,000 g, in order to develop safer American football helmets. The ALF caused $60,000 worth of damage and stole 60 hours of research tapes that documented what had been done to the animals. This led to the film Unnecessary Fuss, which helped to shut the laboratory down.

On April 20, 1985, the ALF raided the University of California, Riverside laboratory to remove Britches, a five-week old macaque monkey who had been separated from his mother and left alone in a wire cage with his eyes sewn shut as part of a maternal- and sensory-deprivation experiment. As a result of the ensuing publicity, eight of the 17 research projects active at the laboratory at the time of the raid were shut down.

Structure

The ALF is entirely decentralized: an example of so-called leaderless resistance, with no formal membership or hierarchy, which acts as a formal firebreak in issues of legal and moral responsibility or accountability.

The Animal Liberation Front has been active in the US, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Finland, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Norway, Germany, Slovakia, Chechz Republic, Italy, Australia, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Great Britain, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland, Croatia, Austria, Serbia, Herzogovina, Egypt, Iraq, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Venezuala, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Phillipenes, India, Burma, Indonesia, Korea, China, Pakistan, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.

Recent Developments

From Bite Back magazine:

December 5, 2008 - Spain INCENDIARY ATTACK AGAINST BULLRING

December 4, 2008 - Mexico SHOPS AT LEATHER FAIR DESTROYED BY FIRE

December 4, 2008 - Canada HENS LIBERATED FROM 'FREE RANGE' EGG FARM

December 4, 2008 - Mexico KFC HIT WITH BRICKS

December 3, 2008 - Italy HUNTING TOWER REDUCED TO ASHES

December 3, 2008 - Mexico LEATHER COMPANY GRAFFITIED

December 2, 2008 - Peru JUNGLE CATS, TROPICAL BIRDS FREED FROM ZOO-ILLOGICAL PARK

December 2, 2008 - Netherlands ACTIVISTS VISIT MINK FARMER AT HOME (Graffiti)

December 1, 2008 - Italy RED PAINT THROWN ONTO MAX MARA SHOPS

November 30, 2008 - Netherlands 15 HENS SAVED

November 30, 2008 - USA ACTIONS CONTINUE TARGETING UCLA (Graffiti)

November 29, 2008 - Mexico ECOLOGICAL SABOTAGE IN MEXICO CITY (Arson)

November 28, 2008 - Finland COMMUNIQUE, VIDEO RELEASED FROM FUR FARM RAID

November 27, 2008 - Mexico WINDOWS BROKEN AT PET STORES, KFC

November 26, 2008 - Sweden TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SALMON RELEASED

November 25, 2008 - USA INCENDIARY DEVICE PLACED UNDER VIVISECTORS CAR

November 25, 2008 - Mexico CIRCUS VEHICLES COVERED IN PAINT, WINDOWS BROKEN

November 24, 2008 - UK LSR ATTACKED IN TOWN CENTRE (Barclays Bank and Pretamanger)

November 24, 2008 - Mexico RETURN VISIT TO COCKFIGHTER (Graffiti)

November 23, 2008 - UK GRAFFITI AT FUR SHOP

November 23, 2008 - Spain CHICKENS RESCUED FROM TRUCK AT SLAUGHTERHOUSE

November 21, 2008 - Mexico WINDOWS SMASHED AT BREEDER OF FIGHTING BIRDS

November 20, 2008 - UK ALF EXPOSE, RAID AND TRASH RABBIT FARM

November 20, 2008 - Netherlands 10 TURKEYS RESCUED

November 19, 2008 - Mexico NEW LIVES FOR RABBITS REMOVED FROM PET SHOP

November 19, 2008 - Finland 600 FOXES DYED WITH HENNA

November 19, 2008 - UK BARCLAYS BANK SPRAYPAINTED

November 18, 2008 - Mexico EGG DISTRIBUTORS PAINT-BOMBED

November 18, 2008 - Mexico MEAT COMPANY AD CUT DOWN

November 18, 2008 - USA BANNER DROP FOR ROD CORONADO

November 17, 2008 - Mexico MEAT TRUCK PUT OUT OF SERVICE

November 16, 2008 - Brazil ALF RAIDS BRAZIL'S BIGGEST UNIVERSITY

November 15, 2008 - UK PHEASANTS & PARTRIDGES LIBERATED, HATCHING PENS DESTROYED

November 15, 2008 - Uruguay WALLS PAINTED AT RESEARCH FACILITY

November 15, 2008 - USA TRICK OR TREAT AT HOME OF PRIMATE VIVISECTOR

November 14, 2008 - Netherlands HUNTING PLATFORMS CHOPPED DOWN

November 14, 2008 - Netherlands FIRE DESTROYS CARS AT HOME OF NYSE DIRECTOR

November 13, 2008 - Mexico PHONES TORN FROM TELMEX BOOTHS

November 13, 2008 - USA LOCKS GLUED, WINDOWS ETCHED AT BURGER KING

November 13, 2008 - Sweden LEATHER AND FUR SHOP OWNERS HOME WINDOWS SMASHED

November 12, 2008 - USA VIVISECTOR'S HOUSE PAINTBOMBED, LOCKS GLUED

November 12, 2008 - Netherlands LIVESTOCK TRUCKS PAINTED, CIRCUS ADS DESTROYED

November 12, 2008 - Mexico FUR SHOPS STAINED WITH BLACK PAINT

November 11, 2008 - Uruguay BUTCHERS WINDOWS DAMAGED

November 11, 2008 - France ANIMAL RIGHTS GRAFFITI

November 11, 2008 - Sweden FUR SHOP SABOTAGED

November 10, 2008 - Mexico TELMEX PHONES VANDALIZED

November 10, 2008 - Colombia DOG RESCUED FROM VIVISECTION

November 10, 2008 - Mexico FALSE BOMBS LEFT ON DOORSTEPS OF MCDONALDS, BURGER KING, KFC

November 9, 2008 - Mexico INCENDIARY ATTACK ON BURGER KING

November 9, 2008 - Mexico POULTRY COMPANY HIT BY STINK BOMB

November 8, 2008 - Italy 2000 MINK RELEASED FROM CAGES

November 8, 2008 - Mexico CHICKENS RESCUED

November 7, 2008 - Spain BOAR LIBERATED

November 7, 2008 - Italy THOUSANDS OF MINK FREED

November 7, 2008 - Sweden WINDOWS SMASHED AT BARBECUE RESTAURANT, FISH COMPANY

November 7, 2008 - UK BARCLAYS BANK GLUED SHUT

November 6, 2008 - UK PHEASANT PEN CUT UP, GROUSE BUTTS TOPPLED

November 6, 2008 - Mexico TELMEX PHONE BOOTHS SABOTAGED

November 5, 2008 - Spain ANTI-BULLFIGHT GRAFFITI

November 5, 2008 - Italy BIRDS SAFE FROM HUNTERS, FARMERS

November 4, 2008 - USA VEHICLES SABOTAGED AT UCLA

November 3, 2008 - New Zealand ACTIVISTS RESCUE 12 PULLETS

November 3, 2008 - UK ALF HIT STAPLES

November 2, 2008 - Mexico BULLFIGHTING SPONSOR SABOTAGED

November 1, 2008 - UK HUNTINGTON LIFE SCIENCES COLLABORATOR FOLLOWED HOME

October 30, 2008 - Canada 3000 MINK RELEASED INTO THE WILD

October 29, 2008 - Netherlands ALF TARGET ANIMAL LAB EMPLOYEE

October 28, 2008 - Mexico RED PAINT THROWN ON PET SHOP, RESTAURANT

October 26, 2008 - Mexico SHOPS ATTACKED WITH PAINT AND STONES

October 23, 2008 - UK LOCKS GLUED AT HLS SUPPLIER

October 21, 2008 - Spain 200 PHEASANTS FREED

October 21, 2008 - USA OREGON FUR FARM RAIDED

October 21, 2008 - Mexico ARSON ATTACK AT BURGER KING

October 20, 2008 - Mexico TRUCK SET ON FIRE AT CHICKEN COMPANY

October 19, 2008 - Spain POULTRY FARM'S VAN ATTACKED WITH STONES

Accomplishments

Early ALF covert operations tended to center on the removal, or liberation, of animals from vivisection laboratories. However, in recent years, these have extended to vandalism, arson, and making threats against individuals who directly or indirectly work for organizations the ALF has targeted.

There were 1,200 fire bombings, acts of vandalism, and physical attacks in the UK in 1999 connected to animal-rights activism, according to the BBC.

One of the most highly publicized actions, which was claimed by the Animal Rights Militia, was the 1984 "Mars Bar campaign" in Britain, during which activists issued statements claiming Mars Bars in supermarkets had been contaminated with bleach, in protest at the Mars Corporation's funding of dental research using monkeys. The incident was revealed to have been a hoax, but it led to widespread criticism of the ALF and caused a split with the pacifist magazine Peace News, which had previously allowed the ALF to use its Nottingham office as a mailing address.

In 1998, the ALF claimed responsibility for releasing into the wild up to 6,000 mink from a mink farm in Ringwood, UK. The action was described by a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds spokesman as an "act of monumental stupidity," amid fears that the minks would cause ecological damage. The ALF said it would continue its campaign until the British government introduced new animal-welfare legislation for animals used by the fur industry.

In June 2005, a Vancouver-based brokerage announced that it had dropped a client, Phytopharm PLC, in response to the May 26, 2005 ALF firebombing of a car belonging to Canaccord executive Michael Kendall in London, England. The ALF stated on its website that activists had placed an "incendiary device" under the car, which was in Kendall's garage at home when it caught fire. Phytopharm was targeted, as were those doing business with it, because it, in turn, had business links with Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), the largest animal-testing company in Europe, which has laboratories in the UK and New Jersey. Since 1999, HLS has been the subject of an international animal-rights campaign, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), which ALF activists have been heavily involved in. The ALF and SHAC have declared they will target anyone doing business with HLS. The ALF warned Phytopharm to stay away from Huntingdon or "see your share price crash and your supporters property go up in flames,"

Criticism

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Additional Information

Aims#

According to Robin Webb, the ALF's British press officer, the ALF's stated aims are:

*To liberate animals from suffering or potential suffering and place them in good permanent homes or, where appropriate, release them into their natural environment.

*To damage or destroy property and equipment associated with animal abuse by taking that property out of the arena of animal abuse so it can no longer cause harm, and inflicting economic loss on the abusers with the intention of driving them out of business.

*To take all reasonable precautions not to endanger life of any kind

Sources: www.animalliberationfront.com

www.infoshop.org