Liberate! was written by a small group of dedicated activists. The content may have been produced by amateurs but there are some stand out articles about the burgeoning pro-direct action grassroots, conflicts between environmentalists and animal liberationists, and some entertaining imagery as well.
Justice Department
Arkangel
Arkangel 1-5, 7-11 (1989-1994. London, England)
Vivien Smith, whom I had previously worked with in publishing the ALF Supporters Group newsletter, had recently been released from prison and we teamed up again to produce the first issue of Arkangel, with me doing most of the writing and Viv typing it out and putting it together with artwork to create the magazine.
The second issue was produced in a similar fashion but, after that, everything had to change, as the prison stopped me from sending out articles, following complaints from the vivisection industry, and Viv was put in prison again for ALF actions.
The omission of issue #6 is not an error- it was never printed. Arkangel’s offices were raided just before publication of the issue. We are still seeking additional issues of Arkangel. If you have them- or other publications of note- please contact us!
South East Liberator
South East Liberator (Various issues. 1992 – 1996. West Sussex, England)
South East Liberator was angry, over-the-top, and compiled by front-line activists giving their all for animal liberation. We are seeking the complete collection. These copies were donated along with an introduction from one of the original contributors:
“The Liberator was produced in the ‘90’s by a small group of determined animal rights activists to publicize how much could be achieved by working quietly within a close knit group, and to encourage like minded people to carry out similar actions.
Economic sabotage will always be one of the most effective ways of hitting the abusers where it hurts them most and we, along with other similar groups throughout the country, were proving this time and again.
Liberations, bombings, arson attacks, massive damage to property and vehicles and general sabotage were carried out week after week, with the cops going round in circles!
Thousands of lives were eventually saved through liberations and hellholes closing. Many many hundred of thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused along the way.
Inevitably there were arrests and imprisonment but nobody who was totally involved then, for the right reasons, would say that they had any regrets for any of their actions. Many of us are still involved in the fight for animal liberation and always will be.
Personally the only regret I have is that I’ve never done enough to save enough lives. Oh, and getting caught of course!!”
-Anon
We are still seeking additional issues of South East Liberator. If you have them- or other publications of note- please contact us!
Angels of Mercy?
Angels of Mercy? (1995, London, England)
In 1995 Channel 4’s Warcries news program aired Angels Of Mercy?, a 30 minute investigation into the Animal Liberation Front. The show focused primarily on Keith Mann, an ALF volunteer who was then serving England’s longest sentence for animal rights motivated arson. While most commercially funded news has a clear bias in favor of the status quo (and the channels sponsors,) Warcries was known for fairer journalism. The result in this case was a surprisingly sympathetic look at what pushes a young person to commit criminal acts on behalf of non-humans. Given developments since it first aired, it also serves as a remarkable lesson about public credibility and how difficult it is to regain once lost.
In the 1990s our movement had a variety of articulate, savvy spokespeople, and the release of Angels of Mercy? quickly made Keith Mann foremost among them. His voice-overs from a prison phone are heard over shocking footage of animal abuse, and interviews with his family and supporters act to assure the audience that he is a rational and passionate activist working to stop what can only be described as horrific cruelty. When Keith was later released from prison he was highly sought after as a speaker and a source for reporters. I always felt reassured when I saw his face in the news since I knew it meant that at least one positive quote would make it’s way to the public.
Sadly, in the last few years Keith has become a devotee of British new-age guru David Icke, a man who believes that a race of reptilian shape-shifters secretly controls the world, that cancer is a fungus, that some humans are actually half-dead, inter-dimensional beings, and a host of other pseudo-scientific nonsense. After being literally laughed off of television in 1991 when he wrongly predicted the end of the world, he has resurfaced in recent years as a lecturer and author with a depressing number of followers.
Since his conversion to odd-ball conspiracy theorist Keith Mann has lost much of his credibility both inside and outside the movement. Most recently he has become a holocaust denier, thereby severing his ties with many of us who still held some hope that he would come to his senses. It’s a shame, because as I watch Angels of Mercy? I am reminded of the rare power he once had to make everyday people understand direct action and animal liberation, a power whose benefit is now lost to the animal nations. It is my hope that by posting this video others will consider how desperately the animals need trustworthy advocates, and how easy it is to damage that trust.
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