ALFRIDAYS – VIVISECTION BREEDER RAIDED, OVER 150 BIRDS RELEASED (2001)

A recently resurfaced video showing a raid in a vivisection breeding facility in Iowa (USA), where pigeons, ducks and geese were released. Extensive economic sabotage was done to the farm as well as taking breeder tags from the farm.

Whilst grainy, this is quite a good video showcasing the action of just a few individuals to free animals from vivisection. That raid was the second the farm had received.

Another interesting point to note is the fact that the report very clearly mentioned the name of the farm and their address, ensuring that everybody knew where the breeding facility was. This used to be a standard in ALF reports which is not seen very often in actions now.

Adding to that point, a quick search on google maps (aint that some sort of evil?) shows that the place is still breeding animals and most certainly keeping birds in aviaries. Their purpose remains unknown.

You can read the report published after the action below:

“In the early morning hours of October 18, 2001, the Animal Liberation Front visited Double T Farms (21655 Barrus Rd., Glenwood, Iowa.), a breeder of birds for vivisection.

We located the pigeon shed, and cut through the wire mesh perimeter. 62 pigeons were found and released. These pigeons were destined for a cruel and senseless death at the hands of vivisectors.

All possible nesting boxes were emptied, and breeder tags were removed from each bird. The shed was also damaged. A second aviary containing ducks and geese was located, and 50 yards of netting cut away, allowing approximately 50 birds held captive within to escape.

A third aviary holding approximately 50 geese was similarly ripped apart, and those geese who did not immediately take flight were picked up and taken outside.

Approximately 162 birds were released.

This is the A.L.F.’s second visit to Double T Farms , and there will be further visits until Ted Golka’s operation is shut down.

Risking our freedom for theirs.
A.L.F.”

GREENHILL LABORATORY BREEDERS RAIDED ON MASS

Due to the recent developments in a Spanish laboratory, we felt it would be a good idea to remind folks about a victory that made the news around the world. 

On the 28th of April 2012 in Italy, and riding the wave of radicalism that SHAC had managed to create against vivisection, around 1000 people met to demonstrate against Green Hill, a beagle breeder selling dogs for vivisection. 

 The campaign wasn’t new, folks had been using many different tactics, from demos to underground liberations, to topple Green Hill. That day, tho, was exceptional, and it would shake the world with images of love and liberation. 

 While the demonstration didn’t seem too radical, once the people arrived at the perimeter fence of Green Hill things took a bit of a turn. Whilst many folks shouted at cops, shaking the fence and calling anyone inside the farm a murderer, a second group broke in on mass and liberated as many beagles as they could. 

 Images of smiling puppies being passed between the barbed wire, or the photo of someone with a beagle stuffed in the t-shirt whilst jumping the fence hit newspapers worldwide, and whilst some folks got caught and some dogs were stolen from activists, dozens of animals managed to escape a life of abuse, breeding and laboratory torture. 

 By no means we are suggesting that people organise a mass action where folks break into Vivotecnia in Madrid and release as many animals as possible as that would be terribly illegal, but hey, this is a piece of history we all can learn from! 

 The video starts slow. The end of the video is worth it. Give it a watch!   

ANIMAL WARFARE?

In 1986, Brass Tacks; Animal Warfare was published in the UK. This is a clip extracted from the document entry that showcases the Animal Liberation Leagues work in multiple laboratories, were hundreds of activists would organise to raid a place together, and in brad daylight. After months of watching and learning, hundreds of folk would break into a laboratory, or a breeding facility, to document, film, steal paperwork, cause economic damage and sometimes liberate animals.

You can see multiple highly functioning teams in action. From folks doing video and audio surveillance, to mass groups pushing their way into laboratories. Tim Phillips gives an interview where he explains the reasoning behind choosing specific tactics, and mentions “Within this laboratories animals have been tortured and died, and they have no say, their only hope is organisations such as ourselves. Arrogance or not, it’s a fact”.

It is also interesting to hear the figures of ALF activists in the UK. They claim about 1300 people involved in underground direct action in the aim of animal liberation. At the beginning of the video, you can read a quote from the ALF Bulletin n.11; “If it is necessary to smash and destroy every butcher’s shop in the land, the the ALF will do it.”

PS: Please note that David Henshaw, producing this documentary, spent quite a few years of his life attempting to link the ALF with the far right and Class War with nazis. Proceed with caution watching complete documentaries made by him.

THE RSPCA AGAINST THE ALF?

In this video from the very early 1990s we see a news clip on the attacks on butcher shops in Oxford (UK) as well as a discussion in studio with Robin Webb representing the RSPCA and John Curtin (former ALF activist). Interestingly enough, Robin Webb would become the ALF spokesperson after dropping his role in the RSPCA. Whilst there is no question that the RSPCA and the ALF would not see eye to eye run many things (even tho the RSPCA did assist in corroborating laboratory footage by the ALF and used in in their campaigns), looking at the chronology of this video in the broader UK animal liberation movement historical timer it would bring the question of how much that discussion was a way of appealing as many different folks as possible by presenting both arguments “opposing” each other.

As always, the talk carries on to bring up how consumers simply will change their butcher shop for a big supermarket counter, and that those animals suffer more, and that the best way of winning the British public is through education, law changing and advocacy.

The conversation is old and the arguments are the same, but this small news clip shows how maybe that diversity of tactics can be used even if it appears to be “against” each other, in order to further the struggle.


Some of the butcher shop attack reports can be read in multiple magazines archived in http://thetalonconspiracy.com

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA RAID, 2004.


On the 14th of November, 2004, ALF activists entered the University of Iowa’s psychology department and ensured that animals escaped the suffering whilst causing as much economic damage as they possibly could.

All 401 animals (88 mice and 313 rats) from the 3rd floor of the University of Iowa were taken. Computers, surgical equipment and paperwork was also destroyed in other laboratories in different floors.

This video, used as propaganda for the action, includes news reports as well as footage from the raid and showcases the damage caused as well as the animals being boxed up for transport.

The ALF activists wrote on their report: “This was not thoughtless vandalism but a methodical effort to cripple the UI psychology department’s animal research. Only equipment in rooms where animals were confined and tortured were targeted. Only computers belonging to or used in the work of vivisectors were destroyed. Only documents of animal researchers waere doused in acid. The acid a deliberately chosen paper dissolving agent. Our goal is total abolition of all animal exploitation. Achieved in the short term by delivering the 401 animals from UI’s chamber of hell. And in the extended term by shutting down the labs through the erasing of research and equipment used in the barbaric practice of vivisection. The entire raid was a careful and deliberate 5-pronged assault on UI’s animal research.”.

They sign the report with: “Let this message be clear to all who victimize the innocent: We’re watching. And by axe, drill, or crowbar — we’re coming through your door.

Stop or be stopped.

A.L.F.”

You can read the whole report and see almost 200 photos from the action on BiteBack Magazine’s website.

http://directaction.info/news_nov18_04.htm

1995, “ANIMAL WARS”. THE FIGHT AGAINST LIVE EXPORTS.

Documentary looking at the campaigns against the live export of calves from the Midlands and Suffolk. Features Carla Lane, Nancy Phipps, Pam Brown, Trevor Love and includes tribute to the late Jill Phipps who gave her life defending the animals.

It shows that the radical vs moderate conversation about campaigning is not a new thing with groups like CIWF and the Vegetarian Society rallying against doing demos at exporters’ addresses as that will not “make vegetarianism fashionable”.

Although this campaign managed to close down multiple live export points in the UK including Shoreham, Kent port still stands. Folks can hear more about the live exports campaign in the UK by following Kent Animal Defenders.

ALFRIDAYS – ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT INVESTIGATIONS UNIT EXPOSE RABBIT MEAT FARM (05/11/2008)

CONTENT WARNING: The footage featured in the video is disturbing.

In 2008 a group of people calling themselves the ALF Investigation Unit broke into a farm in Berkshire UK and filmed the conditions of the rabbits being exploited inside. They took several rabbits as well as caused several thousand pounds worth of damage. This is the report that was released with the video:

“On the eve of Barry Horne’s death, a group of volunteers accessed a rabbit ‘meat’ farm in Berkshire, U.K. This farm used to harbour hundreds of rabbits in the back of converted box lorries, but have recently upgraded their bunny butchering enterprise to four permanent and highly intensive units. Semi-built and set to be filled with hundreds of rabbits, we entered the site and bypassed top security measures.. the key was left in the door!

One unit was so full of rubble and electricity cables we almost didn’t expect to find any animals in such conditions. Further inspection found rows of cages, many with rabbits inside. All living on wire, many rabbits were blind, had ears missing and were rotting alive inside this windowless hell.

Even within a legal system that legitimises animal abuse, this sicko has still managed to torture animals beyond any legal requirements. The unit was in total disrepair, flooded with a mix of water and excrement, with open electricity wires and strewn with litter. None of the units had ventilation or air conditioning systems, despite being newly built. This farm was an excellent example of what ‘animal welfare’ means for animals: fuck all.

Needless to say we decided to make some legal corrections. After taking several rabbits to safety, who are now recovering in loving homes, we turned our attention to stopping this ‘man’ filling any more cages with defenceless animals. We cut every empty cage into pieces. Fuse boxes and machinery were glued and filled with expanding foam. Messages were left on the outer walls and doors before we vanished back into the darkness with our newly acquired friends.

This action was carried out in the memory of Barry, who continues to be an inspiration to us all despite his death at the hands of the British government

ALF Investigations Unit”

ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT INVESTIGATIONS UNIT EXPOSE RABBIT MEAT FARM (05/11/2008)

CONTENT WARNING: The footage featured in the video is disturbing.

In 2008 a group of people calling themselves the ALF Investigation Unit broke into a farm in Berkshire UK and filmed the conditions of the rabbits being exploited inside. They took several rabbits as well as caused several thousand pounds worth of damage. This is the report that was released with the video:

“On the eve of Barry Horne’s death, a group of volunteers accessed a rabbit ‘meat’ farm in Berkshire, U.K. This farm used to harbour hundreds of rabbits in the back of converted box lorries, but have recently upgraded their bunny butchering enterprise to four permanent and highly intensive units. Semi-built and set to be filled with hundreds of rabbits, we entered the site and bypassed top security measures.. the key was left in the door!

One unit was so full of rubble and electricity cables we almost didn’t expect to find any animals in such conditions. Further inspection found rows of cages, many with rabbits inside. All living on wire, many rabbits were blind, had ears missing and were rotting alive inside this windowless hell.

Even within a legal system that legitimises animal abuse, this sicko has still managed to torture animals beyond any legal requirements. The unit was in total disrepair, flooded with a mix of water and excrement, with open electricity wires and strewn with litter. None of the units had ventilation or air conditioning systems, despite being newly built. This farm was an excellent example of what ‘animal welfare’ means for animals: fuck all.

Needless to say we decided to make some legal corrections. After taking several rabbits to safety, who are now recovering in loving homes, we turned our attention to stopping this ‘man’ filling any more cages with defenceless animals. We cut every empty cage into pieces. Fuse boxes and machinery were glued and filled with expanding foam. Messages were left on the outer walls and doors before we vanished back into the darkness with our newly acquired friends.

This action was carried out in the memory of Barry, who continues to be an inspiration to us all despite his death at the hands of the British government.

– ALF Investigations Unit”

ALFRIDAYS – THOUSANDS OF MINK RELEASED FROM CAGES (SWEDEN)

On the 19th of August in 2018 activists entered a fur farm during a protest in Hjo, Sweden. 5000 mink were freed from their cages. You can see in the video with what ease and speed so many beings were released from their tiny metal cages. Activists also covered the farmers home in stickers. The farmer, Knut Indebetou, not only tortures mink but also raises hundreds of thousands of chickens for slaughter.

In the hit report activists made it clear that  this it was “not the first time he has been targeted and it will not be the last!” They also provided this handy contact info. “If you want to adress you concerns, Contact:
Knut Indebetou
Lilla solberga 1,
54492 HJO
+46708453288″

100 HENS LIBERATED IN MEMORY OF BARRY HORNE, 2017.

In 2017 and during the “Week of Action Against Speciesism” an egg laying farm was visited by the ALF. As well as taking a hundred chickens to safety, the humans involved destroyed crates upon crates of eggs, machinery and automated tools. They left messages for the farmer to read the morning after. 

The action was dedicated to Barry Horne. We decided to upload this video as we believe it to be quite powerful, not only showing how a free range facility looks like in the UK, but also giving an insight on how a barn is destroyed in just a few minutes. 

As always, the aim of ALFRIDAYS is to have an insight on what came before today in the path to liberation. We felt it was appropriate to showcase this specific video today as it was only this morning that we published a free range chicken report that has received multiple comments asking “why free range is wrong”. 

Read the report sent below: 

HIT REPORT! 

1st November (2017), UK. 

100 CHICKENS LIBERATED, FARM SABOTAGED. 

Received anonymously:

“Under the International Week of Action Against Speciesism, an egg-laying chicken farm in the north UK was sabotaged. Owned by James Potter, this farm supplies to main supermarkets around the country telling the fallacy of ‘free range’ as somewhat ‘not cruel’.

One hundred chickens were freed from their slavery, the machinery and disinfectants were sabotaged, all the eggs smashed and graffiti on the walls was sprayed on reading ‘EAT YOUR OWN EGGS’, ‘FUCK THE EGG INDUSTRY’, ‘BARRY HORNE, A LOVE WARRIOR’ and ‘BARRY LIVES IN THOSE WHO ACT’.

All hens are now safe and will live a life of freedom away from the exploitation of humans.

With this action, we would like to remember and give power to Barry. We do not forget and we do not give up. The Animal Liberation Front is only growing. We will fight against speciesism and we will extend our love and power to anyone oppressed by this system.

For a truly anarchist revolution,

against all hierarchies,

against animals being used as commodities.

ALF”