THE TALON CONSPIRACY, A GOLDMINE OF HISTORY IS BACK! – ACTIVIST RESOURCES

 Editor’s note: Activist Resources is a new series covering any and all websites that might aid activists in their fight for liberation. Send us any suggestions you have over email! 

Many of you have reached out about Talon, asking if we knew why it was down. Well, we can confirm Talon Conspiracy is back online! 

Talon Conspiracy is an incredible website that has over the years archived magazines, zines, leaflets and periodicals of the earth and animal liberation struggles. 

From a collection of Animal Liberation Front Supporters Group magazines to obscure one-off publications, the website is a treasure chest of historical information and is without a doubt worth spending weeks looking around! 

Those pieces of history don’t just inform us of how campaigns used to be run, or what tactics, strategies and discussions the movement has seen over the years (you’d be surprised about how much conversation there has been about racism and transphobia in the movement over the past decades!) But it also is a good research point for current campaigns. 

Many of the places that once were the target of activism still stand, and names and addresses can be found within all those magazines. 

As far as we can tell, the Talon Conspiracy is going to be rebranded as “archive of animal and earth liberation publications”, we will let you know when that has happened, but for now enjoy all the reading material you could ever desire! 

https://thetalonconspiracy.com

Thank you to those who out of love for the movement worked so tirelessly to create this archive, and thank you to those who are now maintaining it! 

SEE YOU IN THE NEXT RIOT!

THREE DEFENDANTS ARE BEING SENTENCED AT READING CROWN COURT 2ND FEB 2024. – CALL FOR COURT SUPPORT

Over the past years, an animal rights court case has been going on in the UK under a reporting ban, stopping the publicity of it. Folks are now asking for solidarity and support during their sentencing. Read their words below: 


“there is an ongoing animal rights case going through the Crown Court, regarding the rescue of animals. there is still a reporting ban in place, so we are extremely limited on the information we can share with you and the questions we can answer. one defendant was recently found “Not Guilty” by the jury, one is still yet to stand trial, one is awaiting a retrial, and three are due to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on 2nd February 2024. we are calling for a show of support for them in court on this date, please share widely and come along if you can!

as raw as emotions might be on the day, we ask that you don’t behave in any way that could possibly backfire on the defendants in this case. please refrain from bringing any banners or placards, any that can be used will be provided. if you want to sit in on the actual hearing, it’s worth noting that your bags will be searched and any face coverings will (most likely) have to be removed. you won’t be alone if you choose to stay outside!

please have a read of this court support guide from Bristol Anti-Repression Campaign (@bristolantirepression), if you haven’t attended before. hope to see some of you there!”

LADISLAV KUC IS FREE! – PRISONER SUPPORT

Ladislav Kuc is a Slovakian animal liberation activist who has served a 12 year sentence after an explosive action in front of a McDonalds that resulted in no injuries or harm to anyone.

He was imprisoned on the 1st January 2012 and over the years his sentence was appealed over and over, at some point facing 25 years with the terrorism enhancements. He has served 12 years and is now out of prison.

His time in prison has been difficult and he has been denied basic medical care so he has spent the past few weeks sorting out doctors appointments.

On communications with him, he sounds incredibly grateful for all the support he has received, from donations to letters and has sent love to all who have reached out over the years.

Life back from prison is not easy transition. Lado has been in prison for over a decade, so a lot of things have changed, but also he still owes a big fine and money to his lawyer. We haven’t worked out how much is owed yet, so for now we are just re-sharing PhillyABC’s fundraiser for him, until we work out better options to get money to him and how much is actually needed.

Please join us in wishing Ladislav a huge welcome back to the outside and please, please donate a few coins to the fundraiser. He owes 1000s and needs all the support he can get. Even 5 USD is a massive help.

Donate here: https://fundrazr.com/027Cec

WELCOME BACK LADO!

THE ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT LIBERATES FOURTY ANIMALS FOR NEW YEARS.

31st December, Milano North Italy.

Received anonymously via email: 



ENGLISH (translation):



“The only toast and the only celebration in which we participate is animal liberation!

40 of our brothers will start the new year as free individuals.

Tonight 15 hens, 1 rooster, 9 white doves and 14 pigeons were freed from captivity and a situation of severe mistreatment. Locked up without water or food, they were seen by the human tormentor as objects for his own use and consumption!

We will never stop until every cage is empty!

A.L. F. ”

ITALIAN (original):


“L’ unico brindisi e l’ unica festa a cui partecipiamo è la liberazione animale!

40 nostri fratelli inzieranno l’ anno nuovo da soggetti liberi.

Stanotte 15 galline, 1 gallo, 9 colombe bianche e 14 piccioni sono stati liberati dalla prigionia e da una situazione di grave maltrattamento. Rinchiusi senza acqua né cibo, erano visti dall’ umano aguzzino come oggetti a proprio uso e consumo!

Non ci fermeremo mai finché ogni gabbia non sarà vuota!

A.L. F. ”

FOLKS FIGHTING THE MURDER OF WOLVES IN NORWAY NEED YOUR SUPPORT RIGHT NOW!

Help wolf activists pay fines! (Link below)

“Six wolf activists saved wolves that were confined by hunters and received fines of 73,000 Norwegian kroner (EUR 6,500) for it. This fundraising campaign aims to gather enough money to cover the fines for the activists. Any remaining funds will be used for legal expenses if the case goes to court and for a fine fund if similar actions occur again.

In the early hours of Tuesday 2 January six Norwegian wolf activists entered the hunt area of Aurskog-Høland in southern Norway. Hunters had been tracking a number of wolves from the Fjornshöjden pack, limiting the animals’ movement with flag-lines.

It is common practice in Norway for hunters to harry wolves using flag-lines, temporary fences many miles long that the wolves do not dare to cross. The fenced area is tightened until the wolves have little freedom of movement. At this point all the wolves within the fenced area are shot.

The hunt began on New Year’s Day, and by nightfall a number of wolves were trapped in the flag-lined area. The hunters decided that the flag lines should stand over night, so that the wolves would be easier to kill next day.

Wolves from the pack were heard calling to each other across the flag-lines. The trapped animals were in all likelihood highly stressed, unable to return to the safety of the pack.

At the darkest point of the night six activists slipped quietly into the area. The activists removed large parts of the fence, allowing all but one of the animals to escape and return to their family members. Sadly, one wolf did not escape. This was the alpha female, mother of this year’s litter of cubs. She was shot on 2 January. But hunters confirmed that several of the cubs survived.

Five of the six activists were arrested. They spent the night in police cells, and were fined a total of NOK 73,000 (EUR 6,500).”

Please donate generously. At the time of this post, they have already managed to raise 62k NOK. It would be incredible if we could help get them over the 11k NOK left, so donate if you can afford it but if you’re unable to, please share to every platform you can think of!

https://chuffed.org/project/105454-hjelp-aktivistene-som-ble-botelagt-for-a-redde-ulver-fra-jakta

IN SOLIDARITY – UNTIL ALL ARE FREE

SABOTAGING HUNTS: DECEMBER ROUND UP

Image credit: @caldervalleyhuntsaboteurs

The month began with a sharp frost that resulted in a number of hunts deciding it was too cold to go out. Some remained committed to killing wildlife however but were successfully prevented, as seen by Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs who forced the Broomhead Beagles to give up on their plans to hunt mountain Hare. Foot packs have previously been advised by their governing body that they should pack up if confronted by saboteurs and is testament to their lack of confidence in their ability to protect themselves legally and their diminishing public image. In this case, wildlife protection can come as a result of simply turning up. The group’s efforts were dedicated to a colleague from Staffordshire who had sadly lost their life recently. Severn Vale Hunt Sabs also continue to utilise Hare hunting’s vulnerability, as seen in a recent report which saw them shutting down both the Royal Agricultural College Beagles and Dummer Beagles in the same day.

Unfortunately, not all efforts in hunt sabotage can be successful due to a variation of factors that can work heavily against the hunted animal. North Dorset Hunt Sabs reported that at least one fox was killed during a meet of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt. In addition to this, despite the best efforts of Beds and Bucks Hunt Sabs and Peterborough Hunt Sabs, who successfully prevented multiple foxes being killed by the Fitzwilliam Hunt, hounds rioted and killed a Muntjac Deer. These outcomes can be hard on those who take action against hunting, but the fact remains that many more wild animals would suffer if not for their continued efforts. Evidence of this can be seen in an abundance of reports published by sabotage groups across the UK and Ireland.

The festive period includes some of biggest calendar dates for hunting and comes with increased violence and hostility to saboteurs and members of the public who oppose bloodsports. Tensions are much higher and are often fuelled by excess alcohol consumption and backed by higher numbers of hunt supporters who are in attendance. On the 23rd December, the windows of Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs vehicle were smashed in a premeditated attack. Devon County Hunt Saboteurs also had a window smashed during a meet of the Eggesford Hunt, while Northants Hunt Sabs had their tyres slashed at a Cottesmore Hunt meet. Suffolk Action for Wildlife also reported that the Essex and Suffolk Hunt killed a fox.

Boxing Day is arguably the busiest day in hunting. Traditionally, hunts will celebrate by parading hounds to members of the public in a town or village and is followed by hunting. Historically this attracts large amounts of supporters and acts as a way of raising money. Since hunting was banned under the Hunting Act 2004, the celebration is also utilised as a way of cleaning up the image of hunting, with some spectators unaware that the hunting of wildlife does in fact continue.  Opposition to hunting has had, and continues to have, a presence however, with protests being held during the parades and saboteurs on hand to disrupt hunting activity.

The vast majority of sabotage groups, if not all, were active on Boxing Day with too many to mention in this report. However, despite the challenges, efforts against were largely successful with many hunts unable to kill wildlife. Some were even reduced to stick to trail hunting; a sight unthinkable in the past and testament to their changing landscape. It is, however, important to not get ahead of ourselves and remember the challenges that remain against wildlife defence. Violence against saboteurs continued, including against the Wight Saboteurs who suffered an extremely serious eye injury during the meet of the Isle of the Foxhounds. Brighton Hunt Saboteurs also reported that protesters were arrested following violence they had received by supporters of the South Down and Eridge Hunt. Unfortunately, Glasgow Hunt Sabs also reported that a fox was killed after being shot by The Jedforest Hunt who were hunting on the Scottish borders.

Other tactics are utilised in the run-up to Boxing Day meets. For traffic and crowd control reasons, hunts usually apply in advance to the local authorities and/or councils to secure permission for a parade and other such logistics such as road closures. Campaigns to ban these parades, therefore, becomes a logical step in the demise a hunt due to how this will affect their public image and fundraising efforts. An example of this can be seen by Action Against Foxhunting who, in advance of the Southdowns and Eridge Hunts attempts to apply for permission to parade hounds through Lewes, applied for a charity wheelbarrow race in support of Lewes Food Bank. The application was successful and proved how there could be a fun alternative which would also be beneficial for the local community.  However, due to increasing threats of violence from hunt supporters as well as the hunts defiant intention to parade regardless, which organisers feared would result in premediated confrontation from hunt supporters, the charity event was cancelled. In a statement, Action Against Foxhunting made it clear this decision came at prioritising safety of the general public and the participants of the event. In effect, the Southdowns and Eridge Hunt sabotaged a food bank and should serve as a reminder that hunting not only has contempt for wildlife but also for human life as well.

Though some may see the hunt as victorious, it is important to recognise how important this event is to a hunt and, therefore, the need to continue pressure against it. Campaigns to permanently ban hunts from parading takes time, requires patience and continued pressure from the community; something that is clearly gaining momentum in Lewes. Historically, these campaigns have been won and will no doubt be achieved again. Some may question the impact of small victories but it is important to recognise that hunts operate by maintaining a support structure. Each victory is an attack on that structure and, with fewer structural elements to rely on, a hunt will inevitably collapse.

The festive period is seen as a middle point for the fox and hare hunting season. As the vast majority of sabotage groups have remained consistently active for months (not including cub and leveret hunting), it is understandable that some are feeling tired. Messages of support, donations and purchases of merchandise go a long way in showing appreciation for what they do. Tip-offs are also vital and can directly result in wildlife protection.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD

MAXMARA GETS REDECORATED TO CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR.

1st January, Stockholm Sweden.

received anonymously via email:

“Beware animal abusers.. we, the animal rights movement, are coming for you harder then ever.”Beware animal abusers.. we, the animal rights movement, are coming for you harder then ever.

Despite pressure by activists worldwide, Maxmara shows no mercy for their innocent victims and refuses to enact a fur-free policy. Maxmara is one of the few designers still selling animal fur, making the brand one of the few that keeps the horrific fur trade alive.

Our animal siblings can not free themselves. So if you do nothing, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” – E. Wiesel.

Let 2024 be the year that animal fur officially goes out of style !! (The first step towards total animal liberation).

We wish Maxmara and all the other animals abusers an absolute shit new year!”

WILDLIFE ENTHUSIASTS DESTROY TRAPS AND HUNTING TOWERS.

2023 (delayed report), Belgium.

Received anonymously via email:



“In the past year, during the hunting seasons, a crew of Belgian wildlife enthusiasts immobilized more than 15 structures.

These structures were used to kill or trap our wild animal brothers and sisters. Sometimes the time to strike was chosen carefully to slow down expensive and organized driven hunts that took place shortly after. Sometimes the locations were chosen to show new hunters in the area that their violent mindset and abuse is not welcome where we patrol.

For animal and human liberation.”

STATE ATTACKS “FUTURO VEGETAL” WITH MASS ARRESTS, UNDERCOVER COPS, AND BIZARRE CHARGES

Futuro Vegetal is a grassroots, non-hierarchal AR and environmental activist group. They’ve been taking a series of accountable and unaccountable actions, from spray painting yachts to sabotaging gas stations and burger kings.

Police repression targeting the group has been intense. Just last month, there were 30 arrests. 15 of those arrests happened on the same day, December 21st, in a coordinated police operation across a number of different cities in Spain. These people were then accused of being part of a “criminal organisation,” despite the group clearly not meeting the legal definition of one. Two people have additionally been charged with directing a “criminal organization.” Other charges brought against members of the group include property damage and public disorder.

Two activists have trials set to commence in May in France, with other activists awaiting trial dates.

It’s not only these arrests and charges the group has been dealing with. At the beginning of last year, they discovered an undercover cop who had infiltrated the group. A number of raids on homes have been conducted by both the Spanish and French police, some of them without a court order. Multiple devices and other items were seized. The group is aware they have been under police surveillance for some time.

Solidarity from the community towards people suffering police repression goes a long way. Future Vegetal is now calling for help with legal fees.

You can send them funds via https://opencollective.com/futurovegetal

You can keep up to date on their actions and court dates via their social media: Twitter, Insta and fb @futurovegetal and on their website: https://futurovegetal.org/