Eco Terrorism in AmericaDr. Alison Meek

Department of HistoryKing’s University College

The Evolution of the Environmental Movement

Earth First! and ELF The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) Response

Terrorism• what is terrorism?

• FBIº domestic terrorism

“the unlawful use, or threatened use, of force orviolence by a group or individual based and operating entirely within theUS and Puerto Rico without foreign direction committed against personsor property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian populationor any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives”

º eco/animal rights terrorist as #1 threat∞ why?

Eco Terrorism• evolution of movements to terrorist groups

º fringe/splinterº asymmetrical warfareº media attention

Evolution of the Environmental Movement• conservation

º National Parks• Rachel Caron, Silent Spring, 1962

º pesticides

• government legislation, 1960s-1970sº waterº EPAº Earth Day, April 1970

Environmental Radicalism• Greenpeace, 1972

º Canadiansº whaling & sealsº nuclear testingº nonviolenceº violent response

Environmental Radicalism• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, 1977

º Paul Watsonº whalingº net cuttingº bombsº ram and sink ships

Deep Ecology• bio-centricism

Deep Ecology• environmental equality

º all life formsº mountains and streamsº viruses

• radical changes neededº human populationº pre-industrial society

• Earth First! (1980) targetsº corporate industrialismº over populationº energy consumptionº resource consumptionº pollution

• tacticsº no compromiseº monkeywrenching

∞ public awareness∞ inflict economic damage

Earth First!• monkeywrenching

º survey stakesº vehicle destructionº tree sittingº power linesº tree spiking

Earth First!• Glen Canyon Dam, 1981• FBI sting, 1990• splits emerging

Earth Liberation Front (ELF), 1992• direct action

º vandalismº arson

• targetsº “real terrorists”º McDonald’sº Forest Service stationsº condos

∞ San Diego, 2003º SUVs and dealerships

• Vail, October 1998º mountain lynx

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF)• England, 1976• America, 1979• targets

º university labs (UWO)º McDonald’sº pet stores

• tacticsº fire/arson

• tacticsº vandalism

• tacticsº animal liberationº Operation Bite Back, 1990s

∞ fur farms and labsº problems animal deaths in the wild

Organizational Structure• leaderless cells

º 2-5 people

• benefits?

• dangers?

Government Backlash• Congressional hearings

º PETA and funding• legal protection ‘Animal Enterprises’

FBI and Eco Radicals• FBI categorize as #1 domestic terrorist threat

º militiasº anti-abortion terroristsº religious terrorists

• why?