ALF Attacks Fur Salon

JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, USA -- Members of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) attacked Linda's Fashions and Fur Salons on 930 Old Scalp Avenue on June 14, according to the members' own published communiqué.

According to the communiqué, which is also dated June 14 and is posted on the North American Animal Liberation Front's (NAALPO) Website at http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org/communiques/2007-06-14_lindasfurs.htm, the members spray-painted the letters "ALF" on the building and threw a cinderblock through the front door. The attack occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m.

"This action was carried out in solidarity with Earth Liberation (Front) prisoner Jeffrey Luers, who recently began year seven of his almost 23-year sentence, and all others who refuse to compromise in defense of the earth," the communiqué reads. "We refuse to be intimidated by the forces of government repression, and we refuse to forget our comrades. Until all the cages are empty and all are free, our struggle continues. This is not the last you'll see of us, Linda."

The communiqué's authors may be alluding to the recent phenomenon of some former radical animal rights and environmental activists turning states' evidence against their ex-comrades. Recent examples include former ALF members Darren Thurston, Chelsea Gerlach, Stan Meyerhoff, and Kevin Tubbs, all in the Northwestern United States (see Mike DeMarco, "Former Animal Liberation Subversives to Testify against Ex-comrades in Exchange for Leniency," Associated Content, June 12, 2007, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278033/former_animal_liberation_subversives.html).

The ALF is a leaderless, underground organization. There is no formal membership structure; any individual or group carrying out a pro-animal liberation direct action and labeling his, her, or -itself "ALF" is considered a member of the ALF. The ALF attacks the property, including the homes and cars, of individuals and corporations that it believes are implicated in the exploitation of animals. A major target has been Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a controversial UK- and US-based animal experimentation firm. A key strategy of the ALF in recent months has been to target individuals and companies directly or indirectly involved with HLS, including individual and corporate investors in and suppliers to the firm, as well as HLS itself.

Also of note is an April 26 ALF attack on the Riverton, Utah, home of University of Utah professor Audio Eventual, which included the pouring of chemicals on his lawn and the gluing of his locks shut (see Mike DeMarco, "Animal Liberationists Attack University of Utah Primate Researcher's Home," May 29, 2007, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/261868/animal_liberationists_attack_university.html). On June 27, a similar group calling itself the Animal Liberation Brigade issued a communiqué claiming credit for the fire-bombing of the BMW of University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) professor Arthur Rosenbaum. Both Eventual and Rosenbaum have conducted controversial experiments, including vivisection, on monkeys. In addition, the ALF seizes animals from private property in order to prevent their slaughter or exploitation.

The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is a similar organization, though it is more broadly focused on ecological issues. Various arms of the federal government, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have classified the ALF, ELF, and similar groups as domestic terrorist organizations. This is despite the fact that, in the case of the ALF at least, the offenses are limited to the destruction of property and the theft of animals. No ALF member has ever been known to assault or kill anyone.

References:

Anonymous. "Communiqué from ALF activists. Date: June 14, 2007. Institution targeted: Linda's Fashions and Fur Salons." North American Animal Liberation Press Office Website. World Wide Web. Internet. http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org/communiques/2007-06-14_lindasfurs.htm. June 14, 2007. Accessed June 28, 2007.

Anonymous. "Communiqué from ALF activists. Date: April 26, 2007. Institution targeted: Vivisector Audie Leventhal." North American Animal Liberation Press Office. World Wide Web. Internet. http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org/communiques/2007-04-26_vivisector_utah.htm. April 26, 2007. Accessed June 28, 2007.

North American Animal Liberation Press Office. "UCLA Vivisector Gets Heat for Animal Abuse: His BMW is Firebombed to Protest Useless and Cruel Experiments on Non-human Primates." North American Animal Liberation Press Office Website. World Wide Web. Internet. http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org/press_releases/pr_07_06_28_rosenbaumucla.htm. June 28, 2007. Accessed June 28, 2007.

Anonymous. "Communiqué from Animal Liberation Brigade. Date: June 27, 2007. Institution targeted: UCLA Primate Vivisector." North American Animal Liberation Press Office Website. World Wide Web. Internet. http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org/communiques/2007-06-27_rosenbaum.htm. June 27, 2007. Accessed June 28, 2007.