Animal Liberation Leagues

One off publications are zines or short books with a single installment.

Sabotage : A Comic / Zine About The Fine Art Of Hunt Sabotage (1992 – Cardiff, UK) Produced by the Vale and Valleys Hunt Sabs, this short zine provides exactly what the title suggests. The interior has articles and comics from a wide cross section of saboteur subcultures, from crusties to older folks in white tennis shoes. The quality of the content is all over the map as well, but still makes for an interesting look at sabbing culture and technique in the early 1990s.

SHAC – A Campaign That Made History (2013. City of publication unknown, Italy) Originally published as “SHAC: ha fatto storia.” The english translation is not perfect, but makes for a good overview of the FBI’s “Operation Trailmix” in the US and INTERPOL’s “Operation Achilles” in Europe. The collective that made this booklet has a blog at shacmadehistory.noblogs.org

SNARL! Handbook of the Leeds A.L.F. (1985. Leeds, England) Hilarious, youthful, arrogant, and obnoxious- and just a little bit dangerous. Ignore the sketchy how to’s and enjoy the rest!

Still Angry? The Compilation Tape and Fanzine: A Benefit for the Toronto ALFSG (1987. Toronto, ON. Canada) The Toronto ALFSG released many of the publications on this site and were one of the best sources of information on direct action for non-humans in the 1980s. In order to financially support their work they released this cassette and zine compilation in 1987. The bands featured are primarily from Europe, North America, and South Africa and run the gamut of punk sub-genres. The zine and liner notes are typical of their era- cut and paste style graphics, juvenile interviews, and plenty of righteous frustration with law and order.
Due to a file error, we currently only have Side A of the cassette digitized. Please accept our apologies, we will post the full cassette eventually… Maybe…

True Story of Stumpy the Bear, The (City and date of publication unknown. USA) The US Forest service auctions off public land for private profit at a net loss to the taxed classes. How does an organization behave so badly for so long without anyone noticing? The USFS has as part of its solution a cartoon bear…
Radical environmentalists subvertised the heck out of Smokey in the 80’s and 90’s to great effect. The free Smokey comic books given out at ranger stations were replaced with these Stumpy comics.

Up Against The Law (1987. London, England) Before the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act or the advent of Ag-Gag laws, western governments were using other means to protect the profits of animal abusers. Through methods legislative and extra-legal the British government was particularly skilled in disrupting the efforts of animal liberationists. By the late 1980s these attacks had become so commonplace that J.J. Roberts (the collective pen name of John Page and Jane Holgate) wrote Up Against the Law as an effort to give activists a means to fight back.

The Primer Collection

In: Primers

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Primers are typically self published, anonymously distributed zines containing DIY instructions on sabotage, civil disobedience, or other forms of direct action. Due to the laws suppressing certain materials in the United States we must censor primers containing bomb making or incendiary device instructions. While primers in the environmental and animal liberation movements seldom focus on consequences, please be aware that following the advice in these publications could lead to arrest, incarceration, death, or severe repression of yourself and others. These publications are dated, their instructional value may not hold up in light of new legislation, security measures, and other technological advancements. Please see our site disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

An Animal Liberation Primer, 2nd and 3rd Editions (Publishing dates unknown. Country of origin unknown) Popular primer widely distributed in the 1990s. Focused on security culture, direct action philosophy, tactical decision making between animal rescues and economic sabotage, and how-to directions.

Animal Liberation Primer, The (Publishing date unknown. Country of origin likely USA) Containing material mostly culled from other similarly named primers, this is a short how-to guide for small scale property damage, arson, and liberations. Contains a basic run down of security measures, mental preparation, and history of the Animal Liberation Front.

Animal Liberation Through Direct Action (Date of publication likely 1998. Country of origin likely England) One of the better primers available in the 1990s, the pamphlet discusses the basic security, surveillance, and planning necessary to carry out liberations and economic sabotage. Also includes a brief history of the movement, a first hand account of a mink farm raid, and statements from various ALF cells.

As Darkness Falls (1995, USA.) Dangerous, amateurly written, likely made by people with little personal experience utilizing direct action.

Earth First! Direct Action Manual 1st Edition (1997. Eugene, OR. USA) Earth First! chapters on the west coast of the United States won a few campaigns using blockading and civil disobedience in the 80s and 90s. As word spread about new tactics developing in the forests there was a clamor from other activist groups to build their own lockboxes, barrels, tripods, and “black bears.” The DAM Collective answered this demand by printing the Earth First! Direct Action Manual, a nicely illustrated, bound book containing how-to instructions on scouting, security, dealing with police, and setting up voluntary arrest scenarios utilizing “lock downs.” It also contained short articles about Critical Mass, The Animal Liberation Front, varying theories on non-violence as an ethic vs. tactical choice, and practical security measures for activists.

Going Underground for Animal Liberation (1993. England) Thoughts on animal liberation, the value of direct action, and security measures.

How to Sink Whalers, Driftnetters, and Other Environmentally Destructive Ships (1993. Chico, CA. USA) The scuttling of ships used to harm the ocean has a long and proud tradition in our movement. Classically, large boats were sunk with limpet mines attached magnetically to their hulls, but another method became popular in 1986 when David Howitt and Rod Coronado sank two boats in harbor in Iceland by opening the sea water intake valves. Their method, originally published as an epilogue in later editions of Dave Foreman and Bill Haywood’s Ecodefense, was later excerpted for publication in this zine format gem.

Interviews with ALF Activists (1986. England) According to Keith Mann, Interviews with Animal Liberation Front Activists had an initial print run of around 1,500 copies which were mailed to to the postal boxes of supportive groups. Inside were detailed instructions on fire bombs, as well as press clippings and interviews with the people behind much of the resistance taking place in England. Readers will notice pages missing from our .PDF of “Interviews.” After many years of photocopying, the final several pages- which contained addresses of laboratories- had become obsolete. In fact, many of them were out of date at the time of publication as they had been taken from documents issued by the Home Office 5 years prior to printing.

Into The 90s With The ALF (1991. England) Basic cut and paste primer from early 1990s. Discusses the course of direct action and hunt sabotage after the murder of Mike Hill.

Meeting the People and Ideas of the Animal Liberation Movement (Publication date unknown. Amsterdam, Netherlands) Containing mostly reprints from early issues of No Compromise, this is a good read with a mouthful of a title!

My First Little Book of GM Crop Decontamination (Date of publication likely 2002. Country of publication likely England) Essentially a more complete, British version of The Nighttime Gardener with illustrated instructions on locating and destroying genetically modified crops.

Nighttime Gardener (2000. United States) Originally released to coincide with the WTO protests, Nighttime Gardener quickly became the standard primer on anti-bioengineering crop pulls. These actions, which were once popular all across the world, were aimed at preventing GM cross contamination with other plants and corporate control of agriculture.

Power is Ours, The (Publication date unknown. Country of origin unknown.) Basically a reprinting of the Into the 90s with the ALF with a new lay-out and introduction. Contains a small piece about a raid carried out against the Oxford University vivisection program where 64 cats were rescued.

This Is The ALF 1-2 (1990, 1994. New Zealand) A brief snapshot of the animal liberation movement in New Zealand from the late 1980s into the 90s. The Diary of Actions is impressive for a country of this size.

We are still seeking primers. If you have them- or other publications of note- please contact us!

Black Beast / Turning Point

In: Periodicals

Black Beast 1-3 / Turning Point 5-8 (1985-1987. Oxford, UK)

Flesh and Blood

In: Periodicals

Flesh and Blood 1-8 and 10 (1980-1992 – Hertfordshire, England)

BUAV Liberator

In: BUAV Liberator, Periodicals

BUAV Liberator (Various issues, 1983, 1984, and 1986. London, England)

The Complete ALF Supporters Group newsletter

In: Most Popular, Periodicals, The SG

The ALF Supporters Group newsletter 1-19 (1982-1986. Nottingham / London, England)

The Complete The Beast

The Beast International Times Supplements 1-2, The Beast 1-10 (1978-1981. London, England)

On the 5th of November of 1947 a baby lowland gorilla, stolen from his home and family in West Africa, arrived at the London Zoo. As it was Guy Fawkes day, this newest prisoner was named in his honor. Guy the Gorilla went on to become one of the biggest money makers for his captors, and thousands of visitors would gawk at him, occasionally throwing him sweets to eat. Eventually the candies rotted his teeth, and during a surgery to repair them, he had a heart attack. The budding animal liberation movement in the UK took notice, and a group of people began producing buttons with Guy’s face on them. As the buttons grew in popularity, this small group decided to make a newspaper, and soon The Beast became an insert in International Times. After two such inserts the editors struck out on their own, and soon this beautiful publication was on newsstand racks in England and abroad. It was produced for two short years, and remains one of the best animal liberation (and anti-nuke!) publications of all time.

The Beast began it’s run during a time of global social and political decay. As the voters of the west fell under the spell of charismatic and brutal conservatives, a broad coalition of anti-nuke, anti-fascist, union, conservationist, environmentalist, and animal lib activists entrenched themselves to fight back. As things “hotted up” in the streets, the staff of the magazine followed the action and ideas of an astonishing number of people and groups. The tone in the early issues is optimistic, brave, and intelligent, and offers a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of activists during the era.

The history covered is equally incredible. Articles offer the story of the first animal liberation raid in the United States, the origins of the Hunt Saboteurs Association, and the early days of the Animal Liberation Front. Lost figures, like OG U.S. Hunt Sab and eco-prisoner John Walker, come back to life in these old pages. Important thinkers, such as Henry Spira, Peter Singer, Richard Adams, and Paul Watson were regular contributors. Then, there are the images! Between the full color, glossy covers are amazing pictures of early raids, movement legends, and epic moments on our movement’s timeline. One such photograph, taken in 1980 and shown in issue #10, captures a small group of Animal Liberation League activists standing with banners in a field, bandannas covering their faces, fists in the air. More than 30 years later young people still show that same spark of rebellion and hope.

Targeting the information inside to a wide variety of “animal protection” ideologies, The Beast quickly drew the attention of people ranging from old school anti-vivisectionists to environmentalists. This new readership included people like McLibel defendant Dave Morris, Animal Liberation Front co-founder Ronnie Lee, and open rescue pioneer Pattie Mark. By the time the full size magazine had an existence independent from the International Times, foreign correspondents were already on board and writing about the emerging movement for animal liberation taking place globally.

The Complete No Compromise

No Compromise 1-30. Includes Strategic Non-Violence for Animal Liberation insert included with issue #8 as separate publication. (1996-2006, Sacramento, CA / Minneapolis, MN / Caldwell, NJ / Old Bridge, NJ / Santa Cruz, CA / San Francisco, CA)

Text postNo Compromise, which billed itself as “The militant, direct action newsmagazine of grassroots animal liberationists and their supporters,” was the most important animal rights publication of the 1990s. Despite its many problems, frequent delays, and constant changes in editorial staff, the magazine energized the movement in a way that is difficult to explain to a generation that never witnessed pre-internet activism.

In the mid 90s there were a few, isolated groups around the country who were participating in civil disobedience actions and staging loud protests against local labs and fur stores. These groups were largely unaware of each others’ existence and without a gathering like Earth First!’s Round River Rendezvous, unable to share tactical advice or co-ordinate targets.

In 1996 there was a national meeting of animal rights activists in Washington DC dubbed World Animal Awareness Week and March for the Animals. The event was considered a failure as only 3,000 of the estimated 100,000 participants materialized. But staff from No Compromise were present passing out the first issue and asking grassroots organizations for their contact information. Suddenly groups like the Animal Rights Direct Actions Coalition were meeting with the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, the Animal Defense Leagues, and the Student Organization for Animal Rights.

As the grassroots grew increasingly aware of the efforts of other organizations, regional demonstrations began being planned. The first such demonstration after the March for Animals took place at the Seattle Fur Exchange, where activists used bike locks to attach themselves to each other and block the drive way of the fur auction. All of the action got reported on in No Compromise, and suddenly bike locks gave way to lock boxes, which gave way to super boxes and barrels and tripods as civil disobedience tactics spread across the country wherever the magazine was distributed. There was an explosion not just in voluntary arrest scenarios, but also in underground direct action. The print runs of No Compromise kept climbing and it became the must read publication for animal rights militants.

The tone of the magazine at its start was hopeful, and each issue was packed with increasingly daring protests and direct actions. As the movement struggled to find focus and dealt with the departure of founder Freeman Wicklund, the the mood shifts to frustration and confusion, only to be plucked back into hopeful territory with the rise of SHAC.

After 30 issues, the steering committee of No Compromise decided to stop publishing in 2006. Their decision could not have come at a worse time. With the SHAC website and newsletter killed by the convictions of the SHAC 7, Bite Back being published only sporadically and with a limited focus, and the Earth First! Journal mired in infighting, the sudden absence of No Compromise meant that the primary sources for radical animal liberation news, opinion, and strategy were the twin sewers of online social networks and the North American Animal Liberation Press Office. These were dark times for our movement, and we are only just beginning to recover.

N.A.L.L. newsletters – Summer and Spring 1985

In: Campaign newsletters, Periodicals

N.A.L.L. newsletter – Summer 1985, Spring News 1985 (1985, Manchester, England)

Every time we receive a NALL related donation everyone at TALON can’t wait to read it, even if it is just a small newsletter or leaflet. Our fascination with the group stems from their early socialism, their insistence that mass-militancy trumps individual direct-action, and their acts of solidarity with other movements. While their publications don’t always touch on those factors, fans of the Leagues will not be disappointed with these two issues of the NALL newsletter, especially the Spring News, which comments on the unstrategic militarism happening at the time, specifically the Mars bar poisoning hoax and publicity stunts of groups like the Hunt Retribution Squad.

The excitement doesn’t end there, however! Despite the poor editing, these volumes contain many clues as to the organizing model, rhetoric, history, and strategies employed by NALL- and then there are the small tidbits that will make you love them even more! An embracing of ecological politics, a tendency towards anonymity for the sake of rejecting the big egos that cause so much damage to movements, the fact that NALL was originally called Manchester Animal Liberators, the mention of a cafe run by three NALL members… If you are as fascinated with this classic organization as we are you will absolutely love these two dispatches!

Heart of the Matter: South East Animal Liberation League

In: Videos

Heart of the Matter: South East Animal Liberation League (1984. London, England)

Recently the South London Flying Column YouTube channel has been posting video of old news coverage of animal rights related direct action. There are many, many gems on there, but we were particularly enamored of this piece, a 20 minute episode of the program Heart of the Matter. Besides containing never before seen footage of raids carried out by SEALL, it also contains unbelievable footage of an unmasked ALF planning session! And if you find yourself disliking the SEALL spokesperson, it’s okay. He didn’t actually turn out all that well…