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ALF and ELF No Longer Unnoticed
There was another terrorist incident on September 11, 2001 in Tucson, Arizona. That day,
two radical environmental groups - Animal Liberation Front (ALF at www.animalliberation.net) and Earth Liberation
Front (ELF at www.iiipublishing.com)-claimed credit for firebombing a McDonald's restaurant and vandalizing a Ronald
McDonald House with swastikas and anti-meat graffiti. Ronald McDonald House, the company's charitable venture,
provides rooms for the parents of 18 critically ill children being cared for in local hospitals. Washington Times
feature writer Valerie Richardson says "That was the day eco-terrorism suddenly ceased being cute."
After inflicting an estimated $43 million in damage, the biggest being a $12 million ski resort fire in Vail, Colorado
in October of 1998, the ALF/ELF tactic of property destruction in the name of the environment has finally drawn
national attention. Rep. Scott McInnis (R-CO), Chair of the House Resource' Subcommittee on Forests and Forest
Health, held hearings in late February. The first week of March, McInnis submitted legislation to deter unlawful
abuse on Federal lands that fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management
and the National Park Service. Another bill from a different committee, creating a national information clearinghouse
for local law enforcement, has also been introduced. The FBI has established Joint Terrorism Task Forces in 44
of its 56 field offices.
In mid-March a conference on stopping eco-extremism - co-sponsored by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (www.CEI.org) - was held near Washington. Prodded by better, more coordinated information,
lawmakers are pondering legislation that would place eco-terrorists under the racketeering act. The FBI now ranks
ALF/ELF as the Number One domestic terrorism threat, according to James Jarboe, FBI domestic terrorism section
chief.
"The FBI estimates that ALF/ELF has committed more than 600 criminal acts in the United States since 1996,
resulting in more than $43 million in damages," Jarboe testified. "The tragedy of September 11th has
not slowed these groups," he continued. In order to regain prominence in the public mind, they have "turned
increasingly towards vandalism and terrorist activities in attempts to further their cause." For example,
a family-owned auto dealership in Eugene, Oregon suffered a one million dollar loss when 35 SUVs were set on fire
last March. ELF described the fire in its press release as a warning that "gas-guzzling SUVs are at the forefront
of this vile imperialist caravan towards self-destruction."
Defenders of ALF/ELF cite a record of over two decades of "direct action" (self-defined as fire, vandalism
and property damage). They claim never to have killed or seriously injured any individuals. The groups describe
themselves as waging a "nonviolent campaign taking all precautions not to harm any animal - human or otherwise."
They prefer to be called A-L-F and E-L-F, not "alf" or "elf." They seem to disregard a scientist
and the wood industry association executive both of whom had their fingers blown off by a letter bomb a few years
back.
That safety record more good fortune, than good intentions, their critics say, noting that the groups take no responsibility
for first responders such as fire fighters who might be injured or copycats who might not be as cautious. (ALF/ELF
fires are usually set in the middle of the night, each cell operating independently without advanced communiqués.)
According to journalist Richardson, law enforcement finds its job even tougher due to the indirect financial support
of major foundations. The Turner Foundation, for example, contributed $50,000 to the Ruckus Society to train ALF/ELF
activists. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claims no connection but has paid ALF member's legal
bills. They are supported by the Pond Foundation and the Helen Brach Foundation. Allegations of more direct PETA
financial support, perhaps even leadership links, have surfaced in the past month.
The latest eco-terror bid for attention has been attacks on genetic-engineering research. The University of Washington
Center for Urban Horticulture was burned to the ground for doing research in the hardiness of urban forests and
wetlands. At Michigan State University, a research lab was firebombed for using genetic engineering to develop
a sweet potato hardy enough to survive African drought conditions. The University of Minnesota's microbial and
plant genomics research center has been targeted as well.
Groups opposed to eco-terrorism are now forming. To follow the issue, readers can check out CDFE at www.radio4all.org
or VandalWatch.org at www.CFFAR.org/VandalWatch. For executives
interested in designing preventive measures or training security staff, Nick Nichols, CEO of the crisis management
firm that co-sponsored the recent conference, can be contacted through www.nichols-dezenhall.com.
The House has passed 52 more pieces of legislation than the Senate, so action this year is not very likely. Unless,
of course, someone perishes in an environmental "direct action" that wasn't intended to hurt anyone.
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