Animal Protection > Activist Index

Going Underground for Animal Liberation

INTRODUCTION

Over the past 2 or 3 years, there have been a number of documents released by the underground (i.e. people who have decided that direct action is vital) in the movement. These have all attempted to bring back the initiative and new ideas to the real Animal Liberationists, as opposed to the big national groups (BUAV, Animal Aid, etc.) who try to dictate what direction the movement should take.

This booklet is for anyone who wants to see a better world, free of exploitation, whether they are already involved indirect action, or maybe just thinking about it. The only requirement for reading this is that the people reading should be compassionate and open-minded.

As we progress into the 90’s, and the scum of the world carry us along on their self-destructive course, more than ever we need to stop and take a serious look at what the future holds, and really decide what we are willing to do about it.

Written by a few Animal Liberationists, this booklet hopes to offer some new radical ideas on strategies for the 90’s. It by no means claims to hold solutions to all the problems around us, or within the movement. Neither does it claim to represent the views of all activists.

This booklet is written in the memory of all those animals (human and non-human) who have been tortured and killed at the hands of worthless scum, and in the hope we will stop it. It is also dedicated to those who have had their liberty taken from them, for fighting for TOTAL Liberation.

WHAT IS ANIMAL LIBERATION?

Before any of us embark on a course of action for animals, we should all sit down and think what it is we really want to achieve. Liberation is definitely a very different concept from that of “rights” or of “welfare”. The idea of animal welfare is a concept that fits tidily into the “Britain – a nation of animal lovers” myth, where it’s perfectly OK to kill animals, for food for example, as long as there are “humane” slaughtering methods and they have enough room to turn around inside their cages whilst they are alive. Animal rights on the other hand, generally implies that animals should be allowed to live without interference, but suggests by it’s very title that we should GIVE these “rights” to them, probably by Parliament and “acts” of law! Surely, Liberation must mean something much more far reaching than this; for too long we have lazily used the term “animal rights” for convenience when we mean something very different.

We probably all have very different visions of what Animal Liberation involves, and how to get it. The common ground is that we all hate animal abuse, and are driven by compassionate reasons to destroy it. However, Animal Liberation cannot just be about the end of fur wearing, of vivisection, of meat-eating, of circus animals, of hunting, etc. etc. (after all surely this is what “animal rights” is!). Liberation involves every last animal being free or any form of exploitation and interference.

It would be incredibly naive to think that all forms of exploitation aren’t inextricably linked, and that the solutions to the situation would be easily come by. It is the same governments, multi-national co.’s, institutions, and abusive throw away attitudes and lifestyles that create animal abuse, global environmental destruction, and human exploitation. This is why many would argue that Animal Liberation symbolises (and has even been described by those outside the movement as such) the ultimate Liberation movement, because it challenges systematic abuse of all forms.

So, as arguably the most revolutionary force that exists, Animal Liberation will be total and absolute; and because all forms of abuse are linked it will undoubtedly result in a change in ALL we know.

A SENSE OF URGENCY

    When the Animal Liberation movement first started to grow it was with a sudden realisation of what was happening to animals all around us. It was a time of active campaigning by a variety of movements; the vanguard of which, even the police say, was the Animal Liberation movement, though the peace movement was also very prominent (CND, etc.). Direct Action was a reality; people broke into labs and factory farms where the animals were, instead of taking more indirect approaches. There was a feeling of strength within the movement as it progressed, and the early eighties seemed like the beginning of the end of animal abuse.

The movement was united with public campaigns and direct action both complemented each other, everyone was hearing about lab animals, about factory farms and fur, and a lot more besides. Marches and demos were starting up all over the place with thousands of people often attending. A large proportion of activists took up direct action – every form of animal abuse was hit, all suffering a real shock to the system; worst of all being the fur trade which has never recovered to its old ways.

Then in the late Eighties, it all slowed down. This was due to a whole variety of reason the larger campaigning groups denouncing direct action and choosing to run like businesses, giving their employees fat salaries to lobby politicians; police arresting dozen of activists and many show trials with large prison sentences resulting; and perhaps more worrying a general sense of apathy throughout all the movements, thanks to a particularly oppressive Govt.

All is certainly not lost. We know that groups like the BUAV and Animal Aid betray the animals (in fact, are counter-revolutionary), and we also know the strength of the opposition – the police and system will try to lock us up for as long as possible. The Animal Liberation movement has surfaced as the strongest movement in the 90’s. Local groups are building up their campaigns and resources, and direct action has seen a huge increase in the first 3 years of this decade.

BUT, and this cannot be stressed too much, we have only just seen the smallest part of our potential fulfilled. We really must bring back a sense of urgency into our lives, and actions must follow this. Never before has the situation been so desperate: billions of animals are killed every year, literally 1000’s as you read this sentence; the whole planet s being raped of it’s beauty; land, air and water are being saturated with chemicals; and two thirds of people can’t even get enough food to eat. All of this, while we live very comfortable lives in the Western capitalist countries, enjoying when others suffer. Within the next 200 years we may have destroyed the world around us. The purpose of this booklet is not to guilt-trip people, but to remind us all that we have the capabilities to change the future.

If we do not fight now, there will come a time within our lifetimes, when there will be nothing worth fighting for.


PUBLIC CAMPAIGNING AND OPINION

Once we have broken free of the chains of ignorance and apathy, we all realise that something needs to be done; most of us know that feeling of desperation. The first thing that most people try and do is tell others about what we have discovered. More often than not, people join a group, perhaps even their local group. The public campaigning that results from all this is an integral part of the Animal Liberation movement. It has its successes and is a very admirable task; many people have been aware of a huge range of issues, and some have acted upon this information, by becoming vegetarian or vegan, etc. Problems:

1) Public campaigning does have its limits. For instance most people know that there are animals in labs and in factory farms, or that their dinner was in fact once an animal. They may not know the full facts, and that is where public campaigning has it’s role, but we face a huge amount of propaganda to overcome their lack of awareness. The crazy consumerist capitalist system we live in has enough resources to force fecd propaganda to blind the public for a long, long time to come and the authorities know that we cannot achieve Animal Liberation by working completely within the law (i.e. the system THEY created). They will only ever give us as much power as they think is not threatening to their interests, which are directly linked to animal, human, and environmental abuse. Then there are those who, for one reason or another just do not care! Anyone who has campaigned will know there are people who just will not change.

2) Lastly there are those people who are actually involved in animal abuse, or any other abuse for that matter. They will either defend their activities to the last, force-feed their own mass propaganda to the public, or carry on regardless of what anyone also says.

3) Even we succeed in creating awareness of the issues, and bring about public opinion and pressure, the successes are false. For example, 8 out of 10 people oppose hunting, the wearing of fur, or factory farms, yet all these still exist and have been through parliament many times. Both the dry sow stall and cosmetic testing on animals repulse 9 out of 10 people, and have even had successes in parliament. The result? In 5 or 6 years time, they will both be phased out in the UK.!! These are our “successes”! Even sadder, is the tale of whaling; the governments of the world ACTUALLY decided to ban whaling through public pressure, but still the slaughter of whales continues because some countries’ governments disagreed! Surely, this tells us that the last place we will EVER see change is in the hands of politicians.

4) It is also apparent that people can partake inactivity for activity’s sake. How many people campaigning have real faith in ALL their activities? Things like vigils, coffee mornings, etc. may arguably have their place; but as a regular occurrence, do they really have any value?

It must be obvious to any sane person that public campaigning and opinion are important, but extremely limited in their effects.

DIRECT ACTION

This has always been, is, and will be, by its very nature our most useful and successes tactic. Direct action has been used by every single revolutionary struggle that has ever seen any successes; and is widely used in North and South America, for example, by the native Indians, and also Earth First in the US using economic sabotage against those who destroy the world around us. For Animal Liberation it saves animals lives NOW, and it works because it goes to the core of the problem: ANIMAL ABUSE!!

No-one wishes they had to break the law, simply because no-one likes the thought of prison, but if we are to achieve what we are looking for then we must be prepared to do so. We have seen, and many of us already know, that the effects of public campaigning are very limited.

Why direct action is so effective:

1) Animals are rescued from factory farms, labs., and other abusers, where they would have had tortured lives and been murdered at the end of them. Hundreds of animal abusers have been hit in this way; Nuneham Courteney cat breeding colony in Oxford was closed down after a raid, in 1990, when every last cat was taken, and activists threatened to return and burn the building down. The same happened to the rabbit breeders Sky Commercial Rabbits in West Yorkshire, except the activists DID burn it down after all the animals were taken! In 1991, the Royal London Hospital was raided: resulting in the most animals ever freed from a lab; the total cost of lost research plus some damage caused at the raid came to 2.5 million pounds! These all mom followed a raid at Interfauna animal breeders in 1990 which signified a return to the grass roots of raids to rescue animals, seeing X2 beagles and 26 rabbits liberated. Other places raided since include: Laundry Farm; Bristol University Lab at Langford; Ware College in Hertfordshire; Beagles from Interfauna. Lancashire Poly; Park Farm, and the Churchill Hospital in Oxford; Boots Labs; Riber Wildlife Park, Derbyshire; Stoughton Farm Park, Leicester; Surrey University’s animal breeders; Kincraig Wildlife Park; literally dozens of battery farms, pet shops, and animal breeders and zoos. Thousands of animals are taken every year, with over 1,680 laboratory animals being liberated, and 1,900 animals liberated from other abusers, all in just over XX months at the beginning of this decade, showing how we arc building our potential up again: INTO THE 90’s! Most labs now, have increased security, which has cost a lot of money and consistently fails to stop us!

2) Huge financial costs are being placed on the animal abusers by “economic sabotage”. This has involved a wide range of activities inc.; throwing paint stripper over badger baiter’s cars; gluing locks, and smashing windows of butchers, bookmakers, and Boots, etc., wrecking vehicles belonging to animal abusers by smashing windows, destroying tyres, or laying incendiary devices in the vehicles; and many other methods. These activities get the animal abusers where it is most effective; in their pockets. Economic sabotage costs them literally millions every year. Since the surge of activity in the 90’s, there have been 1000’s of windows broken all over the country, and well over 100 arson attacks on meat trucks and animal transporters (the total cost of these attacks alone is over 6 million pounds). Insurance prices have been pushed up and some institutions have closed, including a slaughterhouse that had its trucks burnt out, which closed a few weeks later. The offices of “Working Terrier” magazine were totally written off in an attack in 1991, as were the Xenopus Biological Suppliers in Sussex.

These are just a very brief selection of actions so far this decade! The pressure is on; Boots have admitted that over 60 of their windows are broken every month, and an arson attack on one of their retail depots resulted in huge repair costs plus the co. taking widespread security measures at similar places all over the country. The capabilities for damage in this way, have been dramatically increased by the discovery that 2 or 3 people in a car can drive around firing marbles at windows, breaking up to 80 windows in one night! At a meat trades fair, where all the big companies and organisations involved in the dirty industry get together, there was a security advice firm who were offering assistance as to how to safeguard against attacks by Animal Liberationists; when the industry itself acknowledges that there’s a problem then it’s a sure sign that we’re having an effect.

3) Information can be obtained by raids into premises that would be impossible to get hold of by any other means, and also deprive the scum of all the papers they need for reference. These actions have also been very successful. One example; a raid in Oxford’s Chuchill Institute resulted in film of pigs having undergone radiation experiments being released, along with a large amount of documents. 10’ of 1000’s of pounds worth of damage was also caused – the experiments stopped a few weeks later.

These are probably the 3 most important reasons why direct action is the best and some would argue the only real, solution to animal abuse. The surge in direct action in the 90’s is a sign that many of us have felt that a sense of urgency must prevail and that the solution is to go out there and “get the bastards.”

DON’T MESS WITH THE PRESS

For a long time most activists have issued press releases after an action to the media, whether it’s T.V., radio or newspapers. It was considered that publicity to explain an action was a vital part of the action. Even now some believe news coverage is a good idea. It has, to many activists, become apparent that press releases are not only non-beneficial, but actually very dangerous.

The following points are of great importance:

1) Any press coverage relating to an action for Animal Liberation; is nearly always biased against the action, whatever that action may be. Little or no parts of the press release may be used. Terms “loonies”, “vandals” hooligans”, etc. are commonly used to describe the activists and reinforce people’s much misled preconceptions of Animal Liberation. Some activists claim that widespread news coverage incites others to take up direct action, but there is no evidence of this. Very rarely does any coverage mention animal abuse, gaining no grounds in terms of awareness.

2) Contacting the press is a massive risk, and is as dangerous as the action itself. If a telephone is used, the conversation may well be recorded or the telephone number the activist is using, traced to it’s source. If a press release is written, the police forensics will digest every last piece for clues.
The media will not hesitate for a second to pass on any information they receive to the police. In some of the larger Animal Liberation trials a huge proportion of the evidence has been supplied by the media.

3) We must remember that the media are all part of the same abusive system that allows animal abuse in the first place. They have a huge amount of influential power that is merely used by the authorities as a propaganda machine. For instance, a member of MI5 sits on the board of the BBC. Most people within the media are career minded, power hungry scum, who work hand in hand with the authorities.

Let’s call it a day with the media; it’s a total waste of time talking to them. The purpose of direct action is to save animals lives NOW, not to mess about trying to explain to people why it is necessary; that is the purpose of public campaigning. Lee’s not mix the two together – that only ends up in extra risks for activists. To go underground properly, we must not deal with them; we simply expose ourselves. Who cares if people know if an action was carried out by Animal Liberationists or not? If we believe in the need for direct action for Animal Liberation as much as we say we do, then an action is important enough in it’s own right!

THE END OF THE A.L.F.?

For deliberate reasons the name A.L.F. has not been used so far. This is to prove that it is perfectly possible to talk about direct action without needing the identity of a name. For a long time now, the name Animal Liberation Front has been used as a label for direct action for Animal Liberation. Perhaps the time has now come when, not only is the name invalid, but it is also an added risk to carry on using it.

Surely the only real purpose of using the name A.L.F. was in press releases, to establish a solid identity in the public and authorities’ minds of what Animal Liberation was and why it was carried out. That has worked; most people have heard of it all one way or another. If we follow the argument through regarding press-releases, and why we should stop them, then surely that makes the name A.L.F. invalid; it has served it’s tactical purpose.

Activists have always known that there is no organisation, or membership of the A.L.F.; it is merely a name of an action. Yet there are many who really do believe there is more to it, and the idea that you have to join an elite organisation still persists with many in the movement. To create an identity of a set group of people means it encourages people to support a group rather than the cause, and allows people to sit back and be “supporters” rather than activists. The situation has reached a ridiculous stage, where the majority of people who believe in animal rights have been persuaded by the National Societies that direct action is “cowardly”, and of the others in the movement 95% wear the A.L.F. badges and T-shirts but will never take action themselves. And if this is the case, then surely it is detrimental to encouraging new people to take up the struggle in direct action, to perpetuate the myth of the A.L.F.?

Another example proves how it can actually be dangerous to perpetuate this myth. The police have made great use of the name A.L.F. in propaganda. If arrests take place relating in any way to Animal Liberation, then activists are accused of being “neo-terrorist cell members of the A.L.F.” If we now bury the use of names for actions, then no longer can this be got away with in a court room. By creating an image of cold-hearted neo-terrorists, through the identity of a name, and it’s implied membership and rules, the police and authorities know a jury will see a great divide between themselves and the activists facing charges.

Other complications result in the continuing use of the name A.L.F. For instance, there have to be precise terms on what constitutes an A.L.F. action; i.e., does it “fit” within the “policies”. If it’s “decided” an action does not come under these terms, then we reach the ridiculous levels of having to invent other names for actions, such as the Animal Rights Militia! Who cares what bloody name is used for an action – we have no real need for any of this; an action for Animal Liberation is what it is.

GOING UNDERGROUND

There is no doubt that our movement suffers from a serious lack of money, and that our successes are run on a minute amount of cash. Also, there is only a fraction of the amount of people in the movement taking up direct action that are capable of doing so. These are huge problems to overcome. However, our biggest downfall has been that we have not gone underground. So often people have not prepared adequately for the task ahead.

Most people who decide to take up direct action have been involved in legal campaigning, and local groups etc. Unfortunately, they nearly always have carried on with these campaigns whilst undertaking direct action. This must be one of the biggest mistakes that could be made, and is one of the main reasons that people have been arrested and imprisoned. The police keep a very vigilant eye on, what is, in terms of their resources, a small movement. If people carry on ANY form of legal campaigning whilst carrying out direct action, it is merely attracting attention to themselves, because the police know from experience of infiltrating the movement in the past, it has been the most active people campaigning who have nearly always been the most active illegally. We simply MUST stop this mistake NOW! Once someone has decided that direct action is the best way to right for Animal Liberation, then the seriousness of the action must be realised. Because direct action works, and because it attacks the very core that abusive modern society is based on, the authorities in the system will do all they can to stop it. Thus, any activist really should do all they can to remain anonymous and quiet as a shadow, because the stakes are very high – the longer an activist keeps fighting, the more animals are saved and the closer Total Liberation. Also it means freedom, as opposed to imprisonment for the activists themselves.

There’s no way that someone should insist on handing out leaflets to someone, especially if they actually have little faith in that activity and whilst they are carrying out acts of REAL Liberation that involve high risks.

Some very, basic ideas on how to go underground and remain active, learning from some obvious mistakes in the past, would include:

1) As soon as someone has realised that they are going to take up direct action then it is wise to stop any other kind of work within the movement, and stay like this until well after they have given up direct action.

2) It is worth leaving a gap between any work you were doing within the movement before taking up direct action, and using this time to prepare. Leaving gaps of weeks or months between periods of high activity, or serious actions is wise. Although difficult for most, it is also advantageous to move house or flat as often as possible.

3) Preparation would involve spending time getting money together to fund actions, and also to buy tools, vehicles, and general equipment. Scouting out different areas and checking out animal abusers within those areas is advisable, whilst also arranging for safe houses and places, and people interested in taking in animals.

4) Actions are best carried out in another part of the country from where you live, preferably at least a couple of counties away. To “shit in your own back yard” is very tempting, bur has led to many arrests by giving the police an easy ride by not having to look far for the culprits. When there are periods of high activity in an area, the police quickly respond by setting up intense surveillance to watch local/regional animal rights campaigners, or people living in that county/region who have previous convictions for Animal Liberation related activities. For this reason it is also advisable not to associate at all with local animal rights groups, or people in them.

5) Only ever work with the minimal amount of people; and make sure the trust between you is total. Try not to have a social life that revolves around the same people you carry out actions with – the police can (and have done so in the past) try to allege a “conspiracy” if one of you is arrested, and they can prove you all know each other and share a common belief towards Animal Liberation. Generally speaking, this isn’t too much of a risk as long as you don’t all frequent the same place (someone’s house, for instance) regularly.

6) Never talk about actions with anybody – even those people who you undertook that action with.

7) Never go back to the scene of a crime, especially never soon after, to see the success – the police will be watching for the slightest clue. (Many criminals of all sorts have been caught in this needless way to checking out the result of their crime.)

8) NEVER EVER talk in a building, even if you think it is the safest place in the world because the police have put bugs against activists in the most unlikely places. Anything that can be to be connected to illegal activities or subversive ideas should be discussed somewhere very safe. This point could never be stressed too much; some extremely clever and efficient activists have been caught out by this. It’s so easy to get lazy and start talking in a friend’s place: just don’t do it. There probably isn’t anything much worse than seeing your own words written down in black and white that you spoke a few weeks earlier used in evidence against you! Obviously, nothing dodgy should be said on the phone either, and it is worth remembering that if the cops are tapping your phone they will probably be tapping the public boxes nearby as well. No phone or building is safe – a simple security procedure that is worth the small effort.

9) Make sure that your address is clear of anything that could link you with an “animal rights/liberation” philosophy, especially not anything illegal.

10) Constantly assess your aims, methods and strategies, and keep a sense of realism and cool about your planning. Gradually gaining the courage to carry out direct action regularly, takes some time. However, once the realisation that it is quite easy has hit you, it is important to remember exactly what you are up against. It has too often been the case that success can lead to over-confidence, which in turn can lead to recklessness.

These are just very basic points to consider. Unfortunately, in the past, Animal Liberationists have been caught out by all of these problems, by falling into the easy trap of the “it can’t really happen to me” way of thinking. Well it can, and has done; and unless we really do decide to go completely underground and treat Animal Liberation as seriously as it deserves, it will continue to do so!

So what about all the T-shirts and the A.L.F. supporters group? They can simply; and more appropriately say: “I support Animal Liberation” (as opposed to the A.L.F.)., and it can be the Animal Liberationists supporters group etc, etc. There is no part of the movement that would be worse off without the name Animal Liberation Front, although here would be no need for a press office/officer. If all the arguments are followed through, then the concept of a press office is a redundant one; it’s existence just promotes, further still, the idea of an actual organisation, and ends up in a good person probably getting charged with a serious offence (inciting others to commit direct action has been the favourite used by the police in the past) and spending a good few years in prison. Speeches on demos, and at meetings; literature and merchandise; and all the other current roles of the press office can all be easily performed by other people and groups:

We’ve seen the possible benefits of using names in the past, but we must now consider the future. If we really are to go underground, then the question must not be; what are the reasons for NOT using the name A.L.F.?, but, what ARE the reasons for still using it, in light of all it’s dangers and drawbacks?!

THE POLICE

    Once people have decided to take up direct action, then the police must figure in their thoughts; by getting involved in the struggle in it’s most powerful and effective form, you’re taking on the whole system. Let’s make no mistakes; the police have virtually unlimited resources, and they will use everything they’ve got against what they call “subversive” activities. For instance, their special team in New Scotland Yard, the Animal Rights National index has files on over 20,000 people. In the past it is known the police have done all of the following (amongst many others): watched homes for months at a time; bugged rooms within those homes; tapped telephones; bugged cars, and placed trace devices in the cars; used directional microphones to listen to conversations in open laces; followed people around cities, or even travelling long distances, on foot and in cars or motorbikes; opened post; searched through rubbish bags; etc., etc.

There are also rumours that MI5 are to feature more prominently in the State’s attempt stop the struggle for Animal Liberation (there is no doubt that they already collate some information and even get involved in some highly sensitive work). The filth are constantly becoming more militarised all the time anyway which can be shown by the large amount of weaponry being purchased by the filth. 4 activists arrested in Huddersfield in 1991 were arrested with the help of dick head macho cops with rifles which were used as a terror tactic against the activists – and they call US the terrorists?! As the future beckons and no doubt the f*cked up world we live in starts to witness its own collapse, the system will act more heavily than it ever has done in the past; and so serious military involvement in the detection of acts of Total Liberation will increase! We’ll have to prepare for this, although in the near future most activists will probably not come across armed cops.

As activists, it is wise to be aware of all this. HOWEVER, they cannot read your mind and they are not, by any means, perfect, and paranoia will only serve to fail the animals, and hinder progress. Luckily, their bureaucracies, and hierachial structures and organisation mean they arc not quite as effective or clever as they could be. Many activists have never been arrested, and those who have arc likely to have had months or years of activity beforehand.

The time has never been better to act for Liberation. We now know the worst the system has to offer, and we’ve already seen people spend years in prison in one stretch. Technology, and also the resources in general, that the State has at it’s disposal are improving and increasing all the time. Before we know it, if we’re not careful the chance will have gone and we can say good-bye forever to what is, at the moment, a possibility! The most important things to remember are preparation and care. There are publications which cover the ins and outs of direct action itself.

The police are, and we must keep reminding ourselves of this, the protectorate of animal abuse and all the other shit in the world. The British Govt has tried long and hard to maintain the friendly bobby image; the idea that police are just “citizens” like you and the who are there to help us, just dressed in a uniform for identity. This is bollocks! We see often on the T.V. how, in most areas in the world, the police are the weapons of oppression used by some dictator; or military regime: the people are shot, or tortured. It’s exactly the same principle here, except due to the sly way the authorities work in this country, many people do not see the similarities. The media play an important role in creating a barrier of ignorance between the reality and the public’s conception of the cops. Racism and sexism are rampant within the police forces, because the police are an all white male institution (the few women or “ethnics” in there are only there to fill minimal quotas used for propaganda purposes) led by twisted principles designed to protect the ruling class. The result is therefore an aggressive, violent, corrupt and immoral system that would like nothing more, and they’ve all stated this in public, to bring back hanging, carry guns, take away the right to remain silent, lock tip “problem” children, and many more perverse ideas.

As far as racism is concerned, the Metropolitan police (London cops) are statistically the worst (caution must always he employed when viewing ANY statistics on the police force because they will only ever represent the tip of the iceberg). Two separate studies have shown that in Lambeth in London, Blacks are twice as likely to get stopped than Whites, whilst West Indians are 4 times more likely to get stopped than anyone else in the whole of London. Under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (P.T.A.) Irish people are continually racially harassed by the filth. For example, between 1974 and 1986; 6,246 people were detained in connection with N. Ireland. Over 2/3 of these took place at ports or airports, and 912 were detained for more than 48 hours. More disturbing is that 87% were never charged or given an exclusion order (i.e. were totally INNOCENT!) and many who do have exclusion orders placed against them not to enter the UK., have absolutely no evidence put forward against them to link them to any illegal activities. In fact the P.T.A. is mostly used by the police to extend their own racist actions and to further political ambitions. Here, we have only very briefly touched upon examples of the filth’s racist attitudes.... a whole book could be written on the subject. The point is that, as often in the past, the Animal Liberation movement has emphasised the view that activists should be cautious of, and avoid the police, and more or less left it at that; this is vitally important, but when it comes to the crunch it will most likely be the police that be the first and last obstacles facing any revolutionary force. Therefore, the police shouldn’t merely be viewed as a side issue to the struggle – far from it – they should be seen with the contempt they have long deserved!

We’ve all heard of the big profile miscarriages of justice; Judith Ward, Tottenham 3; Guildford 4; Birmingham 6; etc., etc. This, again, is merely the tip of the iceberg. Over a dozen major convictions brought about by the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad alone have now been overturned, long after the squad had to be disbanded due to widespread corruption. That was the one they somehow let the public find out about! How long will it be before people realise that all coppers are bent, or so thick they can’t be bent and see what the rest of the force is up to? Only once people have had dealings with the police will they have any idea of the true extent of the problems.

As Animal Liberationists, people should take all this into consideration; the police are our enemy as they are linked hand in hand to animal abuse, and will do all they can to stop Animal Liberation. Anyone who has been out sabbin’ can say that at evcry level the cops act against us. The filth are responsible for hideous war crimes against the most compassionate and genuine people you’re ever likely to meet; hundreds of Animal Liberationists and activists fighting in other vital movements have been harassed, arrested, assaulted or incarcerated due to the police, some, for years, and we must not forgive the police for anything.

Two brief points; NEVER EVER if people are arrested should they talk in interviews. It MUST be silence or NO COMMENT. They’ll use every trick in the book to get you to talk. It is vital not to talk on tape OR any other place for that matter, except at the desk when you are first inside the cop shop; give your name, address, and D.O.B. (although if you have it sorted before you can give false details) but nothing else. It is well worth reading on your legal rights once under arrest if people feel unsure about the procedures. One last point on this matter; let’s not use the term “pigs” to describe the police, it is a deep insult to the animals. Terms, “filth” or “cops” are much more suitable.

If we go underground then we will maximise our effect and minimise the success of the police stopping Animal Liberation. We must fight like never before.

THE COURTS AND PRISON

Although it is perhaps negative to talk about prison when discussing the need for direct action, this booklet would be incomplete without doing so. Although we all realise the police arc our biggest threat in direct action, they are only a small part in the overall proceedings if activists are unfortunate enough to be arrested and charged with an offence (anyone undertaking direct action must be fully aware of the situation they place themselves in, and the very real threat of spending time in prison). Most matters relating to direct action are serious, so it is very likely activists would go to trial in front of a judge and jury.

It will take a few months, at least, from the time of arrest until the actual trial. During this time the activists will either be kept in prison on remand, or be given bail, probably with very strict conditions. Recently activists awaiting trial have been given such conditions as a curfew (from 9pm to 6am for e.g.) and signing on at their local police station a few days a week, amongst others. No-one would deny this is a stressful time especially if kept in on remand; waiting for an outcome that will decide how long you may be in prison for. The best thing to do, is keep a sensible head on, keep mentally and physically fit and prepare your defence case with your lawyers. This should involve regular contact with a lawyer, and getting to know, inside out, every statement being used in evidence against you.

The trial will probably be very tough going, but this shouldn’t last more than a few weeks. Very basically; the police will explain their case to the jury, of 12 people, and then the person(s) defending, give their case. If an activist is found guilty by the jury, then the judge will decide on the punishment.

Animal Liberationists are dealt with severely by the system (after all, the system has everything to lose, when Animal Liberation becomes a reality) and can nearly always expect a substantial prison sentence. If a person does end up in prison, it is important to stay mentally and physically fit. No-one likes prison; that’s why it’s there; but generally speaking most people undertaking direct action have mentally prepared themselves for it, and don’t find it quite as difficult as they thought it would be. The prisoner support schemes within the movement provide invaluable help; they offer money to buy things with inside prison, and can help pay transport costs for visiting, and also send information around the movement to make sure people receive regular letters of support. Everyone has their own way of getting through prison; some read a lot, or learn subjects or exams, whilst others take time to rest from the stress of direct action, and others try to get fitter.

Above all we should be prepared for the possibilities of trials, and prisons; and the shit that they will throw at anyone they see as “subversive”. Animals’ prisons are so much worse than ours, all their lives are spent in prisons – the only release being death. This IS important enough, to be willing to risk some time in prison – THEY are the terrorists, NOT us, and we must not let their tactics stop us.

“THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH THE FIRST STEP.”

It’s so easy to talk about direct action – we could all do that forever, and nothing would ever get done. We have tried to explain and show in the booklet so far how it is not simply a matter of opinion that taking up direct action is by far the best, and quickest route to achieving Total Liberation, but that a brief and clear argument can PROVE it is! Some activists would argue that there is far too much debate (which is certainly not harmful in principle) and not nearly enough action, and it is quite likely that action has a direct inverse relationship with talk. Animals won’t care if people want their freedom, they care if they get it, so perhaps the time is right to stop trying to decide whether an action is justified or not, and simply doing the job in hand.

A quote from Martin Luther King says it all:
“Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency asks the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
But conscience asks the question, is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe; nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him that it is right....”

There are some people who genuinely cannot take up direct action because they are physically unable, or are single parents, etc. The rest of us have all got excuses why we can’t, most of which are total bullshit when it comes down to it. Most of us are physically able, and totally capable of getting on with the job; perhaps the only things lacking are experience and know-how. As far as the know-how is concerned, there are a variety of documents which cover this, and where experience is concerned; this has to be built up by each one of us – the first few people who took up direct action had no-one to ask and we must not use that as excuse for inactivity now.

There is no doubt that the first step when someone decides to do an action is a terrifying one. The sweat pours and the heart beats, but gradually as time passes and the regularity and scale of actions increases the activist will gain astounding self-confidence and will probably wait eagerly for the next action!

There is nothing special, or unusual, about people that have decided to take up direct action, and they shouldn’t be seen as martyrs; this will only perpetuate an image of activists being super-human. They are ordinary people who are compassionate and want change NOW; just like me and YOU! Activists come from all different “class” and “cultural” backgrounds, and age anything from 16 to 90! And despite what some may think probably half the people who have taken up direct action are women; some extremely successful raids and actions have been carried out exclusively by women proving once and for all there is nothing “macho” about direct action.

The worst error people make when contemplating whether to take up direct action or not, is vastly underestimating their own potential. One activist, carrying out actions over months, never mind years, could rescue 100’s of animals and cause literally 100’s of 1000’s of pounds worth of damage to animal abusers.

By regularly going out and taking direct action, instead of sitting at home or going down the pub, or whatever else we have let take place above Animal Liberation, we can literally change the world.

UNITE AND FIGHT

It would be nice to think that we are getting along well as a movement as we are, and that we can carry on as we have been for a long time and then maybe we’ll get some sort of victory, but then maybe we won’t. What we would like to express most of all in this booklet is the belief that it’s time for radical change, that there’s no way we can carry on as we have been for the last 20 years. Far from wanting to condemn actions/activists in the past, or wishing to sound like we’re in the know, we simply don’t want to see people making the same errors that have been made in the past. After all, that is what a successful long term movement is all about – PROGRESS.

In terms of progress, our speed of change could be substantially improved if we unite with other movements, that are essentially the same. For too long many people within the Animal Liberation movement have isolated themselves from other movements and radical ideas; we hate the tunnel vision shown by so many people in the “general public”, yet we must be careful not to fall into that trap ourselves! The Peace movements; and Class War groups are often working for radical ideas, and have a direct action element, but it is the Anti-Fascist groups and environmental groups that we arguably have the most obvious bonds with. THEIR struggle is OUR struggle. If we were to cross over our actions from simply those of Animal Liberation, and widen our scopes of ATTACK then not only are we likely to have a ripple effect of increased activity across the spectrum of revolutionary movements, but we would also increase our chances of remaining underground. This is because the police will look to legal animal rights groups if an action of Animal Liberation occurs and likewise they’ll look to legal Anti-Fascist groups if a skinhead’s house is trashed, for instance; whereas hopefully it would be a cross-section of an ever-increasing number of activists who are unknown to the police, working out of their home areas, for Total Liberation!

Environmental actions are arguably the most urgently required because of the global mass destruction that is taking place around us to every known ecosystem in the world: there’s no point in Animal/Human Liberation if there isn’t a world to live in! Besides, we cannot achieve any Liberation without recognising the whole world around us is really a fragile single living organism. In North and South America there are more and more illegal effective actions to save various ecosystems, or to stop/destroy those forces responsible for destruction. It isn’t coincidence that many of these actions are carried out by people (particularly native Indians) who have seen most of their culture literally raped, and whose traditional land and way of life is being threatened by multi-national beef, coffee, sugar, tea, or cocoa producers (who in turn are controlled and owned by powerful Western capitalist scum). Earth First! groups in the U.S.A. have had a wide range of successes, as can be seen reading their newsletters, that are as thick as newspapers! The Earth Liberation movement in the UK. hasn’t reached these levels of illegal activity yet; but there are more and more actions taking place, and with a united attack we could see vast changes.

There have been a lot of victories in the past in movements to shake up the garbage dump the scum have turned this planet into, and create a better place for all to live, but we have just begun. Let’s consider previous successes as battles won, and consider today is the start of the war, where we fight for what we want while we can.

SETTING OUR SIGHTS ON THE FUTURE

After reading this, it would be great to think that everyone has at least thought about what they want to do for Animal Liberation, even if they do not agree with all of the ideas in this booklet. Maybe more of us will release more literature and videos, etc. within the movement; new ideas can never do harm if they promote action and are not divisive.

We KNOW that there are animals being abused, mutilated poisoned and killed as we read this. We KNOW how serious the task of Animal Liberation is. We KNOW that an answer to the problem must be complete and utter destruction to the abusers, and we also KNOW that the scum will retaliate with all they’ve got when faced with Animal Liberation. So let’s not betray the animals – our DEDICATION is their ONLY hope.

DON’T put this booklet down and think “that was an interesting little read, now I’ll go and have a pint”. There’s a war out there and we should all be fighting in it!

Animals are DYING for ACTION!

ANIMAL LIBERATION
DREAM OR REALITY
THE CHOICE IS OURS!