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Animal Protection >
Activist Index
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THE ALF PRIMER -- page 3
A guide to direct action and the animal liberation front, third edition
Countless publications on economic sabotage are in print. A more known one
would be George Hayduke's Get Even: The Complete Book of Dirty Tricks. Copies of the ALF
primer can be obtained from the North American Animal Liberation Front Support Group.
Arson
Getting Through Locks
Liberations
Fur Liberations
Dealing With Police
Federal Agents and Grand Juries
Reporting Actions
Arson
Arson is a big, and dangerous step up in direct action. It can
be very dangerous in a number of ways. Arson is a very serious crime, so before
considering it you'd better be aware of the possible consequences if caught. Fire is also
terribly dangerous, so the utmost care is needed when starting one. Its necessary to be
positive that no human or nonhuman animals will be hurt in the blaze. It is also dangerous
media wise. Arson carries the heavy tag of "terrorism", and must be used wisely
as not to discredit the entire movement. As dangerous as arson is, it is also by far the
most potent weapon of direct action. One of the first arson attacks in the US was against
a new research lab at U.C. Davis doing over 4 million dollars in damage. When constructing
your incendiary device, be careful! Consider the source of the information you are using.
Never, ever, ever use The Anarchists Cookbook. This was put together by a right wing
individual purposely using faulty recipes in order to kill or injure people following the
book. Never use information off the internet either, as much of it is from The Anarchists
Cookbook or other unreliable sources. Just use common sense.
Arson can have two different purposes. The first and more obvious is to
start a fire and burn down the target, be it a building or a vehicle. But devices can also
be created that will only have a small fire, meant to give off heat, thus setting off a
buildings sprinkler system, doing water damage to merchandise. If using this method, you
should be using timed devices, set to go off at night when nobody is around. It is best to
try to get the device into the store while open, rather than breaking in during the night.
These devices are placed out of sight under flammable furniture, displays, etc. Putting
them inside of furniture or other products may be dangerous considering the device may
fail to go off on time and go off at a later time after someone has purchased it. Placing
the device on the top floor is best, since the water from the sprinklers will then ideally
run down to the other floors, doing damage on each. We will first discuss devices intended
to start a fire, then move on to more complicated timed devices meant to set off sprinkler
systems. Before using any device be absolutely sure to wipe it clear of all fingerprints.
Do not assume the device burning will get rid of fingerprints. The authorities have at
least 32 methods of pulling prints of burned articles. In some cases, the fire actually
fuses the oil of the print to object, making it easier to read. Whenever using a flammable
liquid try to use kerosene, or diesel fuel. Their fumes aren't flammable, unlike gasoline,
and are therefore safer to use. Kerosene can be bought at outdoor or camping stores as
well as some gas stations. Here it is especially important to buy far away from home.
Purchase it in regulation red fuel containers, then transfer it to whatever bottle you are
using (usually plastic drink bottles or jugs). Also, if using bottles don't fill them all
the way, or as the liquid turns into a gas and expands it will cause the bottle to leak.
Flammable liquid is made to have a noticeable smell, so be sure to keep it totally sealed
in a plastic bag when transporting, and be careful not to get any on you or in your car.
Wash yourself, your clothes, and air out your car or spray some air freshener in it after
the action is done. Incense sticks are often used as a fuse in incendiary devices. We
strongly caution against this. They are hard to light, go out easily, and dont always set
off the device. A much better fuse can be based on those prank birthday candles - the kind
that you cant blow out. They're made to not go out, so what could be better? Just be sure
that they are set up in a way that the dripping wax wont interfere with the connection to
the rest of the device.
A simple way to create an incendiary device is based on two plastic
bottles of flammable liquid. Lightly soak two sponges in whatever liquid is in the
bottles. Place the ends of the candles between the sponges, and place the sponges between
the bottles, then tape the whole thing together. You can also put matches at the base of
the candles in order to help things along. Be positive the candle and match heads are very
close to the sponges or it will not work. The fire will slowly move down the candle, light
the sponges, which will melt the bottles, and start the fire.
A different version of the same device uses one gallon water jug, the
kind with the handle. A sponge is placed sideways through the handle opening and the
candles are stuck in on both sides of the handle. Another simple way to start a fire is
the cigarette delay. This entails taking a cigarette, and placing the end between two open
books of matches, with the match heads against the cigarette. Tie them together around the
cigarette with string or a rubber band. Place this between cardboard boxes, newspaper, or
whatever other flammable stuff you care for. This method will give you a five to ten
minute delay, but don't count on specific times.
A common target for arson is the wooden broiler units used to hold
hens. Due to various drugs, hens now reach their maximum weight in just seven weeks. So,
every seven weeks the hens are slaughtered, and the boiler units are cleaned out and
disinfected, ready for the new batch of chicks. Just after the disinfecting is the best
time to burn them down since the disinfecting scares away rodents. The standard process
for this uses only two people, although other people may be put to use as look outs and
drivers. One person carries bags of torn up clothes. The other carries a container of
flammable liquid, newspaper, matches, and fire-lighters. Fire-lighters are pieces of solid
material used to start fires. You can find them in camping and army/navy stores. Broiler
units are often left open to air out after cleaning and disinfecting. The bags of torn up
clothes are placed in the corners of the unit, and the flammable liquid is poured into the
bags, soaking the clothing. The bags should be leaning against the walls so the
don't fall
away while burning. Some flammable liquid can also be poured on the wall as well, but be
careful not to overdo it, you still have to get out. The fire-lighters are placed on top
of the bags, against the walls. A box of matches can be placed on top of the bag as well.
A piece of newspaper is rolled up and used as a fuse so you don't have to be right over the
bag while lighting it. If your target has a number of buildings you probably wont want to
stick around long enough to do more than one, so go for the largest one.
Destroying vehicles by means of fire, one must be careful. When the
fuel tank of a car or truck explodes it can throw the vehicle 20 to 30 yards. If it is
that close to a building containing human or nonhuman animals it is necessary to break in,
release the break, and push it out of range. A simple way to burn a vehicle is to place a
sheet or blanket on top or underneath and soak it in flammable liquid. If the doors can be
opened, it can also be poured over the dashboard and seats. If not using a time-delay
device, try to light it from as far away as possible by lighting the end of a rolled up
newspaper, flare, or other torch-like object.
The device used to set off sprinklers begins with a cigarette box,
playing card box, or similar small box, and a card is cut to fit inside (to attach the
parts to). Playing card boxes work well in this capacity since you already have perfect
fitting cards. Holes are punched in the sides of the box and card for ventilation, and
both parts are coated with nail varnish. A brand new nine volt battery (must be Duracell
or it wont work!) is glued to the card. Next, take a 21 watt bulb, the kind used in cars
for reverse lights. The glass must be broken without damaging the filament. To do this,
heat the bulb with a lighter and then place it in cold water. The older way of wiring it
is to get a battery snap (the thing nine volt batteries attach to) and solder one wire of
it to the nipple of the bulb. A spare piece of similar wire is soldered to the metal side
of the bulb (the side part is also a contact, not only the nipple). Fine, but stiff, wire
is then soldered onto the ends of the two wires. These two will later be attached to a
watch face. A watch (not digital - the kind with hands!) is used, removed of its band and
glass over the face. The thin but stiff wire at the end of the wire coming off the side of
the bulb is bent up off the watch face into a bridge shape, like an upside down letter U.
Both ends are soldered onto the watch face with the bridge part lifted off, or
perpendicular, to the watch face. The other wire, the upright, is bent at a 90 degree
angle, so the end stands off the face, slightly taller than the bridge. The purpose is to
have the hour hand push the upright into the bridge, completing the circuit and setting
off the bulb. In order to not have the minute or second hand hit the upright they must
carefully be bent out of the way or cut off. Then the two wire ends, the bridge and the
upright, are glued onto the face between one and three. They are placed on the watch face
so that as the hour hand reaches them it will push the upright into the bridge. The watch,
battery, and bulb are glued onto the card. A piece of fire-lighter is glued to the card in
front of the bulb, and covered with nail varnish. The filament is carefully placed on the
fire-lighter and more varnish is painted over the filament and fire-lighter. Match heads,
removed from the sticks with razor blades, are placed on the fire-lighter, touching the
filament, while the varnish is still wet. Fire-lighter can be hard to get going, so attach
as many match heads around it as possible. Any remaining space on the card should be
filled with more pieces of fire-lighter. Only touch it with gloves after that point, or
better yet, only touch it with gloves from the beginning, since parts may be impossible to
wipe off after being assembled. Before entering the target, set the hand to the correct
position, depending on what time you want it to go off. Do not connect the battery snap to
the battery yet. Once in the store, visit the bathroom and connect it there. The device is
now armed. Various problems can come up, such as the hour hand not being strong enough to
push the upright into the bridge, so try it out and try to use the same materials and set
up once you've found what works. Here is the newer, and more effective way of setting up
this device. First off, watch hands aren't that strong, so small travel alarm clocks work
better. This will require you find a larger type of box. Also, a simpler wiring than using
uprights and bridges is to just connect the wire to the hour hand, traveling along it from
the center out. Be sure to leave enough loose wire so that as it goes around it
doesn't
pull off. The end of the wire should be stripped with enough bare wire to make good
contact. Depending on your set-up, it can either contact another wire attached to the side
of the bulb, or contact the side of the bulb itself. Try different set ups out, testing it
along the way by checking if the bulb lights up before you break it, and so on. Once you
have a finished product test it out to make sure it flames up enough to start a small
fire. Take notes throughout the process so you can recreate it again if it works. Once you
have found something that works, commit it to memory and destroy the notes. Always be wary
of any evidence you may be keeping around, like those notes, or boxes or receipts from
parts you had to buy.
A timed device used for vehicles is similar. It begins with the same
box, card, bulb, and battery set up. Using pieces from a plastic bag, make a small bag,
about 4 x 2.5 cm, containing a mixture of half sodium chlorate (weed killer) or potassium
nitrate (saltpeter) and half white granulated sugar (use Jack Frost - it vegan!). UHU or
similar glue is used to seal the edges of the bag. The bag is placed along the filament
where the fire-lighter was used in the previous device. If you don want to mess around
with the bag, use the same fire-lighter set up as the 12 hour device. Instead of a watch
being used as a timer, this one uses a cooking timer which has a rotating arm. A nail is
banged into the top of the timer, not far enough to affect the mechanism, and secured with
glue. A piece of metal that can conduct electricity is bent into a letter L shape. This
piece is glued to the arm, so that the L touches the nail when the timer reaches that
point. The wires are attached to this arm and to the nail. The device is glued to a
plastic bottle filled 3/4 full with gasoline, and dish washing liquid is added. The dish
washing liquid is used to sustain the flame. It does solidify the gasoline in around three
days, so the device should be used within 24 hours. The device should be placed inside the
truck, on the upholstery. If you cant open a door, you'll have to break a window or use it
below the truck. Before using such a device it is absolutely necessary to check the truck
to make sure the driver is not sleeping inside, as is often the case with larger
commercial vehicles. Any product that repels dogs and cats can also be placed around the
truck for safety, especially with longer timers. Again, make sure all fingerprints are
completely gone before setting off for an action and only touch it with gloves after that.
Getting Through Locks
In some actions, particularly liberations, breaking in is an
essential part of the action. Locks can be dealt with in a number of ways. If you are
going to be attempting to get by a lock you should take a close look at it, possibly when
you check out the site your first time during the day, or more likely your second time at
night. Then try to get the exact same kind of lock and see what works. You can try to pry
them open with a crowbar, or cut them with bolt cutters. The other way through a lock is
to use an electric powered drill and a new 1/8 inch high speed drill bit. Depending on the
hardness of the lock it may take more than one bit. Never buy cheap drill bits -
they'll
let you down. Most keyed locks are pin-tumbler types. In this kind of lock, a number of
spring loaded pins are pushed up when the key is inserted. When the tops of these pins are
in perfect alignment with the "shear line", the "plug" into which the
key is inserted can turn and the lock opened. In many locks, parts are made of brass to
prevent corrosion.
Fortunately, brass is relatively soft and easily drilled. A drill can
be used to destroy the pins along the shear line. Be careful not to drill too deeply,
since this can damage the locking bar making it impossible to open. Drill only the depth
of the keyway, which is 3/4 inch in most padlocks, and 1 inch in most door locks. A
"drill stop", available in most hardware stores, can be used to pre-set the
depth required. Once the lock has been drilled out, insert a pin, such as a nail, into the
lock to press the remains of the pins above the shear line. You may have to insert the
drill a few times to chew up bits of pins that are interfering with opening. Finally,
using a flat-head screwdriver, turn and open the lock. This operation takes practice, so
get a few cheap locks and work on it first. Books and tools for picking locks are not too
difficult to come by. The other way to get past doors is to just go through them. Prying
them open with a crowbar, knocking them open with a sledgehammer, are two ways.
Another way is to cut a hole through the middle of the door just big
enough to fit through. A row of holes drilled with a thick drill bit is one way to do
this, portable power saws are another. The advantage of this method is that if the door is
alarmed going through the middle may not trigger the alarm.
Liberations
Liberations are the quintessential direct action. Education
and economic sabotage save animals lives in the long run, but liberating animals from
laboratories, factory farms, or other places of abuse is the only way to save animals
lives here and now. Liberations are probably the most complex actions, and some of the
most risky. For both these reasons, an incredible amount of planning and preparation are
needed. The first step in a liberation is research. You have to know all you can about the
target. You have to know how many animals they have, what kind of animals, what they are
doing to them, and where they are located. Once these are determined comes the most
important part of a liberation - finding homes for the animals. Aside from the actual
break in group, a whole other group of people may be needed for this aspect. NEVER
liberate an animal that you have not found a good and loving home for. Liberated animals
should be placed in homes of people not associated with your group, and hopefully not
associated with the movement at all. Once animals are taken police will be looking for
them, so they have to placed somewhere police will not look. Before being liberated, an
animal should be completely checked over by a trusted veterinarian. Again, before planning
on how to get animals out of bad situations, be certain you have a good situation to put
them in once they have been liberated. Special homes may be needed for some animals
considering you may be liberating animals not normally kept as pets, or with special
conditions inflicted upon them by the abusers.
While caring for a dog taken from a laboratory breeder may not require
special skill, the average person does not know how to care for a monkey with a hole cut
in its skull and an electrode attached to its brain. As was said, liberations are often
highly complex, requiring a number of people and a huge amount of planning. The people
involved should each have an area of responsibility, a specialty. You will need people
responsible for finding homes, researching and planning the raid, look outs, breaking in,
carriers - people to get the animals out, and drivers, as well as someone to coordinate
the whole thing. If possible the look outs and break in crew should arrive early so that
the carriers and drivers are there for as short a time as possible. Of course have a way
for lookouts to notify everyone else if things go wrong, be it an audible signal or by
walkie talkies. Many animals naturally make noise when disturbed or moved, and
there's
nothing you can do about it. All you can do is get in, get the animals, and get out as
quickly as possible. You have to have lookouts you can rely on, so that you can
concentrate on getting the job done and not have to worry about watching your back. If
things go wrong get everyone together and leave quickly. Most people will be happy just
scaring you off, so unless literally being shot at, don't leave anyone behind.
Parking vehicles near the site may be suspicious. It may be best to
have the vehicles arrive early and park in nearby large parking lots or on side streets
amongst other cars. Then, they can simply pull up, either at pre-appointed times or when
notified, possibly by walkie talkie, get the animals, and go. Always have the vehicle with
the animals leave first. If the animals get caught they face death, if you are caught you
will only lose your freedom for a short time.
Fur Farm Liberations
Almost all animals raised on fur farms can be released safely
into the wild. Police and fur farmers may disagree, saying they will starve or die in the
wild, but wildlife officials agree that this is a self serving lie. Of course some will
not survive the wild; some animals raised in the wild don't survive it either. Do they
stand any better chances on the fur farm? This makes liberating animals on fur farms much
easier than those from laboratories. Fox, mink, wolf, bobcat, lynx, raccoon, and coyote
can all be safely released into the wild. The only common fur animal that can not survive
the wild is the chinchilla. Fur farms are also an easier target since they are more open
and generally have less security, although with increasing fur farm liberations, security
is quickly increasing. No huge ecological imbalance results from releasing these animals,
even in massive quantities, into the wild. They all disperse quickly, with mink traveling
five to ten miles a day, and fox traveling twelve. Fur farms are easily spotted, most use
long sheds or rows of cages. Fur animals are kept as cold as possible, since this will
thicken their coats. For this purpose fur cages are always open to the outside air, making
liberation that much easier.
There are some points of safety for the animals that must be followed
in a fur animal liberation. Animals are not old enough to be released until after they
have been weaned. Also, they should never be released after late October, since by then
winter has set in and they wont have time to learn to hunt since prey species will be more
difficult to catch at this time. The best method for releasing large amounts of animals is
to cut holes in fences surrounding the compound, and then just open the cages and let the
animals find their own way out. Of course some will not get out, but when releasing
thousands of animals it may be the only way. The more escape routes you can cut the better
chances they will have. With any release into the wild some animals will be recaptured,
but getting most or even some of the animals to freedom is still much better than all
dying. Chinchillas are a small herbivore native to South America. They are generally not
killed until spring. As was said earlier, chinchillas are the only fur animal not able to
be released to the wild, so they should be found good homes with people who know how to
care for them. An important thing to know is that they can not tolerate temperatures over
80 degrees Fahrenheit. Books about their care are available at book stores and libraries.
Even if a liberation is not possible, fur farms can still be disrupted. From October to
December the "pelting stock", the animals about to be killed, and the
"breeding stock", those animals left to produce more animals, are the same size.
By opening all the cages and releasing them into the compound they will be unable to tell
which is which. The breeding stock may be kept in just a few cages, so be sure to open
them all, or else you might miss the breeding stock and have accomplished nothing. You can
also destroy the breeding cards, index card sized slips which contain the genetic history
(thus the value) of the stock, usually kept on the front of the cages. This action will
not save the animals in the fur farm at that time, they will still be killed. In fact,
they will probably kill all the animals and purchase new ones for breeding. But, such
actions can cause a farm to shut down, thus saving countless animals. Its a question each
individual must decide for themselves.
Another method is to take a non-toxic dye and spray it on each animal,
rendering the pelt worthless. Again, they will still be killed, but possibly it will shut
down the farm and save future generations.
Dealing With The Police
The following holds true for both being arrested, or just taken in for
questioning. When performing direct action, arrests at some point are inevitable, so you
had better be prepared for dealing with the police. Although it is true that the more
actions you do the higher your chances of arrest get, and some forms of direct action are
more risky than others, there is still a chance you will be arrested during your first
action, no matter how minor, so be prepared. The general rule in dealing with police is to
say nothing. Keep in mind that these people go to school to learn how to trick you into
incriminating yourself and others. They are also avid liars, and will say anything to try
to trick you. Realize that every word out of their mouth, no matter how friendly,
innocent, or unrelated it may seem, is said with the goal of getting evidence against you.
Just keep your mouth shut. They may try to threaten a statement out of you. They may say
they will keep you in longer if you do not talk. A lie. If they see they are not going to
get what they want out of you they eventually will give up. If they see you may talk they
will keep pushing until they get what they want. They may threaten you with physical
violence. They may even use physical violence against you. Do not fight back. Face it,
your are in a police station, surrounded by cops. You aren't going to win. If you do try
and fight back you will get yourself a charge of assault on a police officer against you,
and some hefty jail time. Its not worth it. If attacked, try to role into a ball and
protect your head with your arms. If you can get into a corner, do so. Police will only
turn to violence if they think it will get you talking, so keep your mouth shut and you
will keep safe. If given a phone call, do not say anything incriminating over the phone.
Call your lawyer if you have one, if not call a good animal rights group and they will
help you out with one. By the way, no one has ever gotten off by giving police the
information they wanted or by turning in others. Its important for ALF members to know
their rights, since they are often in possession of incriminating evidence, and allowing a
search to happen when you don't have to could be disastrous. When dealing with a police
officer it can fall under one of three categories. The first is consensual contact. This
means that you are not being held, are free to go if you choose, and you do not have to
talk to the officer. This is the state you are in if they have no solid reason to suspect
you of any crime and just want to talk to you. In this situation you should politely
excuse yourself and leave, since talking to the officer will give him the chance to look
for spray-paint on your fingers, etc. The next stage is detention. This means that they
have reason to suspect you, but not enough to arrest you on. In this situation you can not
leave, but of course should answer "no comment" to any questions. In order to
hold you in detention they must have SAF, or Specific and Articulate Facts. Then of
course there is arrest, which requires a "high level of suspicion" that you have
committed a crime. Only once under arrest can you be searched, otherwise they must present
a search warrant. In any situation, if they begin a search, you should clearly and
repeatedly state that you object to it. Of course, most cops do not follow the rules, but
knowing them can both scare a cop (once you say Specific and Articulate Facts
they'll know
not to mess with you) and legally protect yourself.
Federal Agents and Grand
Juries
The same holds true for speaking to federal agents and when called to
testify at a grand jury. A grand jury is an idea out of English government, originally
used for one government group to investigate the actions of another. They were banned in
the UK in 1933. In the U.S. it is used to target and get information on citizens,
particularly those involved in social justice movements such as the animal rights
movement. A federal agent will call a grand jury, and people will be subpoenaed. If called
you will be either the target, meaning the person they are trying to indicted, a suspect,
meaning not the target, but still suspected of illegal activity, or a witness, meaning you
aren't suspected, but they want information out of you.
Grand juries are meant to lead to indictments, but only one, Rod
Coranado, has ever come about. They are more often used to get information on groups like
the ALF and the people involved. In a grand jury setting you basically have no rights. You
have no right to remain silent, no right to have a lawyer present. You may only have a
lawyer outside the room, contactable by phone. If you refuse to answer their questions you
can be placed in jail for up to 18 months. There is a way to beat them though. Resist,
resist, resist. When the grand jury is called, refuse to show up. As soon as the agent is
out the door after delivering the subpoena, call every activist you know and tell them what
is happening. If they aren't familiar with grand juries, explain it to them. Call every
animal rights group you know of. Be sure to contact less deeply involved people as well
and inform them of what to do, as these are the people they will target first, since they
are more likely to speak. Call a press conference and speak about what is happening. Have
a protest outside their federal building. Grand juries are clearly unconstitutional. The
last thing they want is publicity. Speak out about this injustice and never, ever say a
word to them. This is exactly what was done when a grand jury was called in Syracuse
recently, and the grand jury quickly disappeared. Resist, resist, resist.
Reporting Actions
If you choose to report your actions to a support group, send news
clippings or your own report, including the date, place, and what was done. Write the
reports on plain paper using block capital letters, or a publicly accessible typewriter or
computer, like the ones available at a library. Photocopy the report a couple times at a
public copier to obscure details making it harder to trace. If handwriting it, you may
want to have more than one person write each letter. For an A, have the first person write
the /, the second write the \, the third write the -, making a complete letter A. This
will be much harder for them to trace. Be certain not the leave fingerprints on the
envelope, paper, or stamp. Obviously don't sign the report or include your address in the
report or put a return address. Spell everything correctly, since certain spelling errors
are often common to certain individuals. Wet the envelope glue and stamp with a sponge,
don't lick them as saliva is traceable. Always drop in a public mailbox, and avoid using
the same one frequently. After it is sealed and you are sure it is evidence-free, seal it
in a larger envelope so that it can be safely handled. When you are dropping it off, rip
an end off the larger envelope and drop the smaller one into the mailbox without touching
it. When mailing in a communiqué, be careful where the post mark is from. Don't mail in a
report close to your home for an action a state away. Assume whatever you send is first
opened and read by the government. Dropping it of anonymously at a supportive groups
office, or the house of a supportive above ground activist is safer than mailing it.
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