Dog House
11-06-2001, 11:26 AM
PORTLAND, Ore. — The new war on terror hasn't slowed down one group — environmental radicals who have claimed responsibility for at least five acts of sabotage over the past two months.
Guerrilla greens have been as busy as ever since Sept. 11, setting fire to a maintenance building at a primate research facility in New Mexico, releasing minks from an Iowa fur farm twice within a week and firebombing a federal corral for wild horses in Nevada. Only three days before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, militants torched a McDonald's restaurant in Tucson, Ariz.
And now authorities are trying to determine whether radical greens were involved in placing two bombs that were found and disarmed at two forestry buildings on the Michigan Tech University campus in Houghton, Mich. The FBI, ATF and Michigan State Police are investigating.
Four of the five confirmed radical actions have been claimed by the Animal Liberation Front and one by its sister organization, the Earth Liberation Front.
"We believe that their methods of intimidation and violence have crossed the line into unacceptable for law enforcement, and they've crossed the line for the majority of Americans," Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland, said.
She said it was "pretty unbelievable" that the groups continued to wage their war for the environment while the country is waging its war against terrorism.
But the spokesman for the two groups, David Barbarash, said the Sept. 11 attacks changed nothing for underground activists.
"The Sept. 11 attacks were horrific acts, but we also have to remember that the atrocities against the earth continue unabated," Barbarash said.
But he conceded the ALF and ELF run the risk of losing any sympathy for their cause by carrying out illegal acts during the nation's terrorism scare. But he said they don't care.
"Sympathy isn't a factor high on the agenda of ALF and ELF," Barbarash said.
The ALF first surfaced in 1987 and the ELF nine years later. They have claimed responsibility for dozens of acts of sabotage against companies and agencies they say are harming animals and the environment — including fur farms, research facilities, fast-food restaurants and logging operations.
One of the most notorious operations carried out by the ELF was an Oct. 1998 fire that swept through part of the Vail ski resort in Colorado. The group said it was protesting the resort's expansion into lynx habitat.
In the post-Sept. 11 age, the word "terrorism" has become an even more loaded word, and now authorities and radical environmentalists are arguing over whether the word applies to groups like ALF and ELF.
The FBI defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce" the government or the civilian population — words that Steele says fits ALF and ELF to a tee.
But Barbarash argued that militant environmentalists are not terrorists because their aim is not to harm people, but to protect animals and the environment.
ELF and ALF "are acting out of compassion for all life, including human life," and can't be likened to terrorists who crash hijacked planes into buildings or spread disease as a weapon, he said.
The FBI has an active investigation into the ELF and the ALF. Congress also wants to know more about the two groups. Former ELF spokesman Craig Rosebraugh of Portland has been subpoenaed by a House subcommittee to testify on ecoterrorism. Rosebraugh said he won't cooperate.
Rosebraugh stepped down as spokesman for the ELF about two months ago. His role has been taken over by Barbarash, who previously was spokesman only for the ALF.
Barbarash, a former ALF activist who now acts as their spokesman from his home in Vancouver, British Columbia, said the two groups send him anonymous communiqués when they want to announce they've carried out an illegal act. Barbarash then relays the information to the news media. The communiqués can come by fax, e-mail or phone, he said.
Barbarash served four months in jail for taking part in an ALF action — the release of cats used in medical research at a Canadian university in 1992.
He said he ceased taking part in ALF actions because he lost his anonymity when he was arrested. But that hasn't stopped him from relaying the communiqués, or speaking out in favor of there acts.
Guerrilla greens have been as busy as ever since Sept. 11, setting fire to a maintenance building at a primate research facility in New Mexico, releasing minks from an Iowa fur farm twice within a week and firebombing a federal corral for wild horses in Nevada. Only three days before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, militants torched a McDonald's restaurant in Tucson, Ariz.
And now authorities are trying to determine whether radical greens were involved in placing two bombs that were found and disarmed at two forestry buildings on the Michigan Tech University campus in Houghton, Mich. The FBI, ATF and Michigan State Police are investigating.
Four of the five confirmed radical actions have been claimed by the Animal Liberation Front and one by its sister organization, the Earth Liberation Front.
"We believe that their methods of intimidation and violence have crossed the line into unacceptable for law enforcement, and they've crossed the line for the majority of Americans," Beth Anne Steele, an FBI spokeswoman in Portland, said.
She said it was "pretty unbelievable" that the groups continued to wage their war for the environment while the country is waging its war against terrorism.
But the spokesman for the two groups, David Barbarash, said the Sept. 11 attacks changed nothing for underground activists.
"The Sept. 11 attacks were horrific acts, but we also have to remember that the atrocities against the earth continue unabated," Barbarash said.
But he conceded the ALF and ELF run the risk of losing any sympathy for their cause by carrying out illegal acts during the nation's terrorism scare. But he said they don't care.
"Sympathy isn't a factor high on the agenda of ALF and ELF," Barbarash said.
The ALF first surfaced in 1987 and the ELF nine years later. They have claimed responsibility for dozens of acts of sabotage against companies and agencies they say are harming animals and the environment — including fur farms, research facilities, fast-food restaurants and logging operations.
One of the most notorious operations carried out by the ELF was an Oct. 1998 fire that swept through part of the Vail ski resort in Colorado. The group said it was protesting the resort's expansion into lynx habitat.
In the post-Sept. 11 age, the word "terrorism" has become an even more loaded word, and now authorities and radical environmentalists are arguing over whether the word applies to groups like ALF and ELF.
The FBI defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce" the government or the civilian population — words that Steele says fits ALF and ELF to a tee.
But Barbarash argued that militant environmentalists are not terrorists because their aim is not to harm people, but to protect animals and the environment.
ELF and ALF "are acting out of compassion for all life, including human life," and can't be likened to terrorists who crash hijacked planes into buildings or spread disease as a weapon, he said.
The FBI has an active investigation into the ELF and the ALF. Congress also wants to know more about the two groups. Former ELF spokesman Craig Rosebraugh of Portland has been subpoenaed by a House subcommittee to testify on ecoterrorism. Rosebraugh said he won't cooperate.
Rosebraugh stepped down as spokesman for the ELF about two months ago. His role has been taken over by Barbarash, who previously was spokesman only for the ALF.
Barbarash, a former ALF activist who now acts as their spokesman from his home in Vancouver, British Columbia, said the two groups send him anonymous communiqués when they want to announce they've carried out an illegal act. Barbarash then relays the information to the news media. The communiqués can come by fax, e-mail or phone, he said.
Barbarash served four months in jail for taking part in an ALF action — the release of cats used in medical research at a Canadian university in 1992.
He said he ceased taking part in ALF actions because he lost his anonymity when he was arrested. But that hasn't stopped him from relaying the communiqués, or speaking out in favor of there acts.