Category: Unoffensive Reports

Another year has passed and because we apparently enjoy spending hours doing the maths, we have a list of the 2023 reported animal liberation actions by country, type and target!

It is worth mentioning, as always, that this list is in no way exhaustive as many people might decide to take action and not report it and because we keep an eye on platforms that use English, Spanish, Italian and German as their main languages, but we might’ve missed many other actions published in other platforms or by other countries! 



The total of reported animal liberation actions in 2023 is 99. Of those, 58 are sabotages, 30 are liberations and 11 are arsons.

Surprisingly and unlike other years, action against the flesh industry and sabotage against hunting infrastructure have equalised, with 40 reported actions against the meat industry and 41 against hunting. This is notable as in previous years we have seen a huge disparity in the numbers, with hunting infrastructure reported a lot more times than any other kind of target.

We’ve seen two reported actions against vivisection (both attacks against infrastructure, not liberations), we’ve received ten reports against fur farming (mostly coming from the USA as the campaign to free as many fur farmed animals as possible has continued) and six reports against animals used for entertainment, be it zoos, circus or the pet industry.

It is noteworthy on the action against fur farming that as well as seeing lots of farm releases in the USA, 2023 saw an arson at Saga Furs in Finland.

By country, this is the list of reported actions: 



United Kingdom: 22
Germany: 15
USA: 13
Italy: 12
France: 6
Sweden: 5
Belgium: 4
Chile: 4
Denmark: 3
Greece: 3
Ireland: 3
Spain: 3
Czech Republic: 2
Finland: 2
Australia: 1
Netherlands: 1

Italy and Germany as it has become the norm compete for the country with most reported anti-hunting actions, whilst the UK placed 1st on number of reported liberations, with almost 90% of the reported actions being liberations from flesh farms.

This year also saw Denmark kicking hard, with a lobster liberation report ending in a great pressure campaign that would force a supermarket to stop selling live lobsters, and with a report from a hatchery that mentioned 20k fertilised eggs had been destroyed before they could start being incubated.

The USA reminded us that targeted campaigning works, with multiple fur farms reported shut (via NAALPO), but it was Sweden that really celebrated the closure of a fur farm, as Niclas Peterson’s mink farm in Falkenberg was shut for good after an incredibly strong campaign.

We also reported over 50 actions related to the ECO struggle, a vast majority of them coming from the Atlanta Forest and the Mountain Valley Pipeline campaigns in the USA, but also a good chunk from Germany, which seems to have sprouted “Switch off!”, who are really leading the way in insurrectionary eco struggle in Europe.

In the prisoner support corner, it was great too hear that all folks arrested and charged because of T&S campaign related actions had been freed without sentences, but most importantly it’s been incredible to know that Eric King is finally free! 



See you in the new year, and until then, please go to a prison near you and make a fuck load of noise this evening, so that the people locked up know someone is celebrating with them! 


FIGHT BACK!

Every now and then we like to remind folks how they can submit anonymous reports, as it is easy to become complacent and not watch out for their security.

When someone wishes to submit an anonymous action, they should visit www.unoffensiveanimal.is/contact-us to read the most up to date information on how to contact us and keep themselves safe.

They will also find a “contact box” at the bottom that encrypts all text automatically before sending.

Through that contact box, folks can share anonymous reports, ensuring that a date and location is included and making sure they are not giving us any personal details, as we DO NOT want to know who you are or how to contact you.

If photos of videos are included, those should be uploaded (without registering) to either WeTransfer or File, or any other media server that will allow people to upload anonymously and that will hold the data for AT LEAST 7 days. The download link can then be pasted into the contact for alongside the report.

We DO NOT want to receive reports through social media DMs. It does not matter if the account does not have your real details on it. This is not simply out of safety for the sender and for us (us knowing who takes illegal direct action is legally not ideal, and we do not want to carry that responsibility), it is also a logistical issue. We might check DMs, but we might ignore DMs for months! We will always check emails at least once a week, so contacting us through the contact form is the safest bet that we have not missed your message.

Now a quick word on security: We have implemented an encryption system from the moment you click on send to the moment we decrypt your message. Your visit to the website will nevertheless be recorded by your browser, your ISP, your device and our website servers. 

To remain anonymous through the process, you should consider using the TOR Browser (an easy download!) before you upload any media to WeTransfer or before you visit the contact us to send us a report. How you take care of your security and how far you go to ensure your anonymity is up to you. You could use a burner device, or travel to another country to submit a report, or do neither of those things. It is up to you to use the TOR Browser, or a VPN, or neither. You take care of you, but take it into consideration, because the internet has logs and they stay up forever.

For any other form of communication (non anonymous reporting, orders, queries and so on), you can use the contact us on our website but ensure you include an email address, because if not we won’t be able to answer.

KEEP SAFE, AND KEEP CAUSING TROUBLE!

Hey folks!

We’ve just posted the UBS solidarity prints, so they should be arriving to you soon! Whilst most of our merch is currently on hold, we still have lots of UBS solidarity prints which we are selling to raise funds for Underground Badger Syndicate, so please grab a pack or two, you can put them in frames, you can put them in an envelope and send it as a thin postcard or you can give them to your mates, what’s important is that UBS gets some funds to keep fighting the badger cull!

Find them here:

https://unoffensiveanimal.is/product/ubsprints/

We have been asking for new collaborators to help cover campaigns and events for UA. Unfortunately, we have lost collaborators for DTAF, CAFT (or worldwide anti fur pressure campaign) and PalAction. We also would love to hear from other campaigns around the world! If you run or partake in such campaigns, or if you are interested in keeping an eye on the campaigns, drop us a line and let’s work out a monthly schedule! UA is made by us all, so please come forward and help us keep going!

Our patreon has been on a steady decline over the past year and a half. We no longer have a long list of prisoners we send money to, and instead send some cash to folks who urgently request it and keep some aside for all the web admin costs. If you can afford it, please join us over there donating monthly, or drop us some coins over PayPal, or even through miners or bitcoin!

All the infos can be found here:

https://unoffensiveanimal.is/support-us/

SUPPORT YOUR ANARCHIST, ANIMAL LIBERATION ALTERNATIVE MEDIA!

UA

Every year, Undergrpund Badger Syndicate spends 6-8 weeks sabotaging the badger cull day and night without breaks.

They go out looking for cage traps where badgers would be locked over night after eating peanuts so a farmer coming in the morning can shoot them dead.

Over the years, Britain has killed 200k badgers during the cull. They aim to annihilate 70% of the badger population. Sabotaging the badger cull is not just an act of resistance, not just a life saving action, it also is a training ground for people from around the globe to get comfortable with operating in a group, thinking strategically, using maps, radios, night vision equipment and so much more.

This year, Underground Badger Syndicate has been facing some exorbitant costs due to unexpected vehicle issues which have meant they have struggled to keep paying for fuel and other expenses during their most critical time of the year.

We have teamed up with four artists from around the globe to produce some very cute small prints to support UBS. Thank you @Maedmack.art @artivism_by_d_ @matt_made_this @praxis_vgz for their support.

Three of the designs are a6 size, and one is square but of the same dimensions. We firstly intended to print them as postcards, but due to some printer issues the paper is too thin, so they will serve very well as framed pictures or they can be sent as a postcard if you put them inside an envelope!

We are selling the pack of 4 prints for £5.

All profits made will go directly to UBS.

UNDERGROUND BADGER SYNDICATE SOLIDARITY PRINTS

PS: please note that UBS is in need of immediate funds but we are buay at UA currently, so all orders received now will be posted at the end of the month.

SOLIDARITY!

It’s been quite a while since we’ve done one of these and it feels like it is due! We’ve had a very good run with collaborators since we put that final call for support. Many of the frontlines are being covered, and prisoner support is running very smoothly!

Sadly some folks have had to stop the project as they were busy, so we are looking for more collaborators that can commit to an article a month. The PalAction campaign is no longer being covered but we believe it to be quite an important campaign to spread around, so if you’d be interested in writing about it (or better yet, if you are in any way connected to the campaign) please shoot us a message!

Same goes for Defend the Atlanta Forest, and we would also love to cover the Mountain Valley Pipeline campaign in Appalachia USA. Please hit us up if you can dedicate some time every month to writing an update on what’s been going on!

We are of course open to other pressure campaign suggestions to cover on The Frontlines, so do not be shy if you can think of any. Take this call for support as serious as the last one, if you can help, please reach out, we really do not want to get to the point of burnout we got to at the beginning of the year. Do not assume others will contact us either. This call for support is aimed at you!

Secondly, we want to point out that we have noticed an influx of neo-nazis and eco-fascists following us on socials, specially twitter and instagram. Let’s make this very clear, UA is an anarchist, anti fascist platform. We have taken the trash out, but if you’re reading this, fuck you, you nazi scum! You certainly are not welcome here!

Lastly, it wouldn’t be an update without mentioning economic support. We really have noticed a drop on donations and could do with your help! If you can afford a monthly donation, please head to our Patreon. If ypu can only afford a couple coins, we have PayPal, Monero and Bitcoin wallets. Please donate if you can, so we can upkeep the servers, website and other associated costs. It is enormously appreciated.

UNTIL WE WIN

UA

[EDITOR’S NOTE: we’ve received a memorial text for the first rabbit that was ever liberated from a T&S farm and reported under the ALF umbrella. The text calls for illegal action and we believe we should remind people that we do not promote illegal activities, and the words come from an alleged former ALF operative. The report they refer to can be found here: https://unoffensiveanimal.is/2019/08/26/four-rabbits-liberated-from-fur-farm-action-dedicated-to-matthias/ ]

Back in 2019 I stumbled upon T&S rabbits and I was left perplex by the abhorrent conditions of the farm and the fact that they were breeding rabbits to skin them and sell their fur.

At the end of August that same year, alongside some other ALF comrades, I broke into the farm in Granby and helped free four rabbits. Our intention was twofold. We wanted to give freedom to those rabbits, but we also needed to let the broader animal rights community know that fur farming was alive, even after the UK ban.

The first rabbit I grabbed and placed in the carrier was Hazel, a wide-eyed English spotted rabbit who after the initial scare of being snatched in the middle of the night munched contently on dandelion leaves on her way to freedom with her two sisters and her brother.

They were all about six months old and were distributed in pairs to safe homes who since then gave them the very best life possible.

A few days ago we heard the news that Hazel had passed after teeth complications. She had spent the past three years living with her sister and enjoyed causing chaos, jumping into bed and doing binkies every time she had the chance.

In many ways, Hazel was the catalyst to an incredibly inspiring storm that would shut down T&S Rabbits forever. A few months after her liberation some unknown comrades liberated even more rabbits from T&S. After that, and after some very heartwarming pictures of yet another liberation during Christmas, people set up a campaign that would ultimately shut down the farms.

During the campaign I watched from afar and wondered how Hazel and her siblings were doing. It is very sad to hear of her passing, but I write this because I believe her story should be heard to understand her legacy. She was the very first rabbit ever liberated from T&S by the ALF.

When we sent the report, at the very end, we signed “until we win”. We won. Hazel won the freedom for every rabbit released from the hellhole that was T&S.

Please, never give up the fight. Go out at night with your friends and fight back against the horrible exploitation that animals undergo every single day. Liberate, sabotage, bite back! You never know how much an action could contribute towards the broader struggle, even more when it is reported and folks learn about it and might take action themselves.

Make it your mission tonight to find freedom for somebody else, in raging and loving memory of Hazel.

The ALF needs you. The animals need you. Take action.

Binky free, wild one.

Last week we heard that Lobo, known in Rojava as Elefteria Hambi, was martyred in Syria. After joining the YPJ in 2018 they moved to the mountains where they joined the YJA Star guerrillas and on the 25th of November 2019, they were murdered by the Turkish state during an airstrike. The news of their martyrdom was not made public until today.

Lobo was without a doubt the bravest person I have ever met. For security reasons details will be spared on a public forum but we are aware of their involvement in some of the harshest and most catastrophic blows to those involved in the destruction of the earth and those perpetuating fascist ideologies in Europe in the last decade. They understood diversity of tactics not as a reminder that organising a demo or Food not Bombs was also a great way to fight against capitalism. They understood diversity of tactics as an invitation to imagine how much harder you can hit against the enemy that destroys this planet, the enemy that exploits the people in it and the enemy who abuses the animals that inhabit it. They were not worried about raising the bar and making those who destroy us feel what they need to feel.

Lobo was an exceptionally intelligent human being. I met them in Hambacher Forst, where we quickly gravitated to each other. They were reserved and I never learnt much about their personal life, but I slowly uncovered that they spoke six languages (which made for very useful communication when the cops were around!), that they were extremely fast doing maths in their brain and that they had read every book possible, yet they did not speak about theory and instead allowed their fight to embody their philosophy. We spent many days fighting, and many nights dreaming of a better world. We spent many weeks plotting and discovering ways to keep battling against RWE. They were by far my best accomplice in the woods.

One morning, when the police were putting pressure and attempting to evict barricades in the forest, Lobo was arrested. They had glued themselves to the platform of a tripod that stood in the way of the police, so cops had to cut around their hand and arrest Lobo attached to a huge plank of wood. When they arrived at the cop shop they fought multiple cops at once who were trying to remove the plank of wood with baby oil. By the time the plank came off every single cop was on the floor, covered in baby oil, and both of the fingerprint machines the cop shop had were completely destroyed. Even in captivity, Lobo would fight back. I was nicked whilst doing arrest support for them and saw the aftermath of that fight. The cop shop had no way of collecting any biometrics that day.

When we were released, Lobo realised that I had also been nicked just waiting for them outside the cop shop. They said, “That’s cute, let’s go steal some chocolate so I can do arrest support for you!”. Always cheery, savouring every victory, plotting the next solidarity attack.

When the government issued the first attack on Unoffensive Animal Lobo was there, shoulder to shoulder on a laptop, building back up the socials, the website, the fundraising options, and reassuring me that they wouldn’t just take the platform down. They believed in total liberation, they were an animal liberationist, and they embodied solidarity.

They have been missed for a long time, but now being certain of their martyrdom, they will be missed even more. Make no mistake, martyrs never die, but the struggle is going to have to do a lot more effort in order to fill the gap that Lobo leaves in the struggle.

They loved the animals, the trees and the fight.

I will howl at the moon for you every time something goes up in flames. We fight in your memory. We love you greatly.

Şehid Namirin

So we forgot that it was our anniversary last month. Oh well, for new and old readers of Unoffensive Animal, we are seven years old already!

Lots have changed since we started. The collective has gone through many iterations, and even this year we were very close to shutting down until a new bunch of people decided to jump on board and revitalise the project!

We keep the same priorities in mind. Prisoner support is the backbone of the movement. Animal liberation and total liberation are one of the same. Fascists are not welcome in the movement. Capitalism must burn for the liberation of all. Also, fuck celery.

We have provided a platform for those who wish to remain anonymous for seven years. We have raised funds for prisoners and for folks facing legal trouble. We’ve given talks, organised events and tried to educate as much as possible on security culture.

We have seen many campaigns succeed, and many more fight extremely hard. It is always incredibly beautiful to see the many shapes that resistance takes when coupled with passionate and creative activists.

Thank you to all who have supported us this far, all of you who were there from the very beginning, and all of you that joined along the way, as well as every single person who has contributed with articles and information and any other support!

Thank you too to those who have kept us afloat with donations. We don’t get paid, but the project is not free, and we keep wanting to support as many prisoners and activists as we possibly can.

Thank you to all who keep fighting in whatever way they feel is best.

PS: on our seventh anniversary we also count with the lowest amount of donations per month. If you can afford it and like what we do, please consider donating, as a one-off or as a monthly donation, every little helps!

Paypal: [email protected]

Patreon: www.patreon.com/animalliberation

UNTIL WE WIN!

Photo: Demonstration in Chile in memory of comrade Mauricio Morales

It’s been about three months since a bunch of folks came forward to help keep UA running. We’ve had great offers of support and people that have really gotten stuck in to help and provide more content for the platform. Frontlines has a constant stream of articles covering campaigns around the world, prisoner support is back to publishing once a week; Incite, Conspire, Inspire are back once again and even Tech&Sec has made a welcome appearance!

This is all hopeful and we are very glad for everybody who stepped up to support, it has really helped lightening the load and easing the burnout!

That is not to be said that we couldn’t do with some more contributors, if you thing there is a cool campaign that should get semi-regular updates and you’d be up for writing about it, reach out over email! The same way, if you have ideas for other content that you believe the movement could benefit from, do contact us and we can see if the UA is the platform for it, and as some other folks have already done, if you want to share about a specific action or campaign as a one off, do contact us too! We really, really would like to collaborate with as many different voices as possible, so don’t be shy!

As always, hit reports are being received anonymously and anyone wanting to report about underground direct action should do that following the how to on www.unoffensiveanimal.is/contact-us

The shop still has a few tees and hoodies at discounted prices, as we want to empty most of the stock. A few people have mentioned that they miss the Defend Direct Action hoodie/t-shirt design, is this a design that a good few people would like to get again? If we get a good few people saying so, we can sort out a preorder for you all and do a one-off print! Comment below and let us know if the DDA design is something you’d like to get, or if you’d like some other fresher designs!

Lastly, we would like to mention that we could always do with some economic support. Servers, domains and hosting as well as secure collaborative platforms for all the contributors is quite an expensive endeavour so we can keep the platform afloat, but also remember that most of the money raised by UA goes to prisoner and court support, so if you can afford a donation, please do so. UA collective does not get paid wages or any form of profits from the collaborations, everything is run on a volunteer basis.

Donate here:

Patreon: www.patreon.com/animalliberation
Paypal: unoffensive_animal(attt)tutanota(.dot.)com

Monero and Bitcoin donation wallets are accessible through our website, under “support us”

SEE YOU IN THE NEXT RIOT!

Photo credit: Still taken from “Finite”, a Hambacher Forest and Pont Valley Campaign documentary. Review of the film coming soon!

via: NAALPO

Recently, anonymous aboveground activists conducted research of east coast fur farms, with the purpose of determining operational status and the number of active fur farms in the eastern United States, primarily Pennsylvania and New York.

Of the 18 farms visited, only one farm was confirmed as an active mink farm, the Stahl mink farm in Sunbury PA (4130 SR 890). One fox farm was inconclusive, the Pacuchinski fox farm in upstate NY (2730 Lenox Road).  All 16 others have shuttered. We found dilapidated and decayed sheds, and sheds that once confined mink were full of derelict machinery and various tools.

The number of operational U.S. mink farms is now under 100, down from over 400 in the 1990s and 274 just ten years ago. Estimates of active U.S. fox farms put the number between 25 and 50.

Last year, the Animal Liberation Front liberated over 15,000 mink from U.S. fur farms. In recent years, global pressure campaigns have seen nine designers go fur free. This is the grim state of the fur trade.

As the fur industry teeters on the brink of collapse, it’s up to all of us to do what it takes to ensure this industry never recuperates. Activist efforts and a diversity of tactics can destroy this industry that preys on native wildlife.

Look for the latest updates of closures and active fur farms at finalnail.com.