Philosophy of Direct Action

Out of the Cages

Out of the Cages 6-9 (1993-1994. Santa Cruz, CA. USA)

The One Off Collection: G-L

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

Got the Hollowpoints for the Snitches (2005, City of publication unknown. USA) An examination of the consequences of activists who provide evidence to the state written during the Green Scare. Comes complete with a rogues gallery of traitors. Our least controversial publication!

Grand Juries: Tools of Political Repression (1998. Portland, OR. USA) After his first few subpoenas, Craig Rosebraugh wrote this essay just in time to receive six more subpoenas. The tone of the publication is a little heavy handed, academic, and politically naive, but contains a good overview of grand juries.

Homo Milk (1992. Sacramento, CA, USA) A true treasure produced by Tom Scut and Todd Pollution Circus. Super queer, super vegan, and very influential in its time.

Hunt Saboteurs Association New Members Pack (1987. Exeter, England.) The Hunt Saboteurs Association is among the most important organizations in the history of animal rights. Starting in 1963, it was one of the first protest organizations for animals in the modern era. Its means were always direct action oriented, and many of our greatest organizations, activists, and philosophies originated with HSA participation. This New Members Pack is a great place to start learning abut the early tactics of the group.

Inside / Out: Diary of Madness (2001. St. Louis, MO. USA) Inside / Out is the story of Brenda Shoss’ experience at the national demonstration which took place in Little Rock between October 27th and 29th in 2001. Brenda, a devoted animal rescuer and mother, represented the broad diversity of the campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences during its early years. She hardly fit the image of militant campaigning. Happily marching alongside pierced punks and anarchists, Brenda’s mild mannered and patriotic politics did not clash with those held by her comrades: instead her presence signaled a movement able to break through to a wider audience. Throughout her account of the demonstrations she evokes the anger and outrage that prompted thousands to band together, despite their differences, to fight to shut down HLS.

Inside the Cages: animal liberation and imprisonment (2013. South London, England) lewis pogson’s account of his imprisonment in England for animal liberation actions. The final chapters deal with post-release supervision and are a must read for those trying to understand the long term legal consequences of a serious arrest.

It’s a Man’s Game (Publication year unknown, likely early 1980s. Leeds, England) It’s A Man’s Game is a short zine written after an anarchist men’s weekend, outlining what they perceived as sexism in the UK’s Hunt Saboteur Association. The authors argue that all men involved in hunt sabbing engage in behaviors that oppress women, and that women and animals are alike because women are “enslaved as wives” and “used for entertainment, cheap labour, and sex.”
For a zine claimed to be inspired by women’s strength, it is notably absent of evidence of women voicing their own concerns with the sabbing scene. Instead, women are portrayed as yet another helpless and oppressed creature that needs protecting by enlightened men – mirroring the paternalistic dynamic of how many animal rights activists view animals.
The solutions to sexism proposed by the zine are to disassociate with the HSA, have structured meetings to prevent any one person from talking more than another, and to spend time doing blindfolded trust exercises as a group to build respect for women.

Keep Fighting: Three Interviews with Britain’s Animal Liberation Front Press Officers (1996. Minneapolis, MN. USA) An almost entirely fantastic little zine containing three highly influential interviews with Robin Webb, Ronnie Lee, and Robin Lane covering the arguments in favor of direct action. There are, however, some arguments on human population in Lee’s interview that will disappoint.

Let’s Get Free (2002. Eugene, OR. USA) Let’s Get Free tells the story of Jeff “Free” Luers’ arrest, trial, and sentencing, along with some short articles and illustrations by Jeff himself. It was sold to benefit his legal defense and prison commissary fund before he eventually had his sentence reduced from 22 years to about 10 years on appeal. It manages to capture some of the shock and anger felt by the activist community when one of our best comrades was buried inside the prison system as a reminder to stay in our place. What it doesn’t capture is the strength, sincerity, and warmth of Jeff Luers. The state failed to tame this warrior. Free is free!

The One Off Collection: M-R

In: One-off publications

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

Memories of Freedom (Publication year unknown, likely 1997. Tucson, AZ. USA) Rod Coronado’s once-anonymous account of Operation Bite Back, he later confessed to being the author. Beautifully written, but at times inaccurate, readers would do well to follow this zine with Operation Bite Back by Dean Kuipers for a less propagandized account of the campaign.

Nonviolence and Its Violent Consequences (2000. Gualala, CA. USA) A short and concise argument against dogmatic nonviolence and its use in wilderness campaigns.

North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office Subcommittee on Eco-Terrorism (2002. Portland, OR. USA) In the late 1990s environmental sabotage was happening all across the world, but was particularly frequent in the northwest of the United States. At the forefront of these actions was the Earth Liberation Front, an anonymous, underground group who utilized above ground spokespeople to reach the public. Their primary conduit for media relations was an activist from Portland named Craig Rosebraugh and his organization, the North American ELF Press Office. For his role in publicizing the motivations and rhetoric of the ELF he had his arm broken by the police, his home raided by Joint Terrorism Task Forces, his break cables cut, was repeatedly subpoenaed to grand juries, and eventually was called to testify before a congressional sub-committee who hoped to imprison him on contempt charges. The so-called “Eco-Terror committee” surely hoped that Craig would be an easy target, but that didn’t exactly work out for them. Snarky, educated, and angry, Craig’s testimony ran the gamut from stonewalling, to educational, to hilarious. For example, while running the Press Office with his friend Leslie James Pickering, Craig owned a bakery. When asked how the press office was funded, Rosebraugh simply replied “muffins.” When asked who had asked him to become the ELF press officer and how he was contacted, Craig responded, “Jesus Christ. It was a spiritual sort of thing.” This booklet is an in depth overview of the hearings and a rare piece of history with fewer than 500 physical copies printed.

One Struggle (1997. Boulder, CO. USA) Launched in 1997, One Struggle was meant to be a multi-issue alternative to the popular No Compromise magazine. With a mission to “fight the overall power structure,” the magazine produced only one issue which greatly failed in that task. It was almost exclusively authored by animal liberationists discussing the movement they most identified with, and many of the articles about other struggles were likewise written by single issue participants in those movements and lifted directly from their publications. This doesn’t mean that One Struggle was not a worthwhile read. The international coverage exceeded what was available in any other US AR zine at the time, and the classic “Non-violence is ass kissing” op ed still produces some hearty chuckles.

Raggedy Anarchy’s Guide to Vegan Baking and the Universe (Publication year unknown, likely 1989. Carmichael, CA. USA) Raggedy Anarchy will help you make delicious cakes, but it will also spark your desire to subvert the omnicidal paradigm! Sometimes funny, sometimes introspective, and always inspiring, we post this classic in the hopes of making Snacktivism a threat again and convincing our readers to “bake for themselves what tomorrow never brings!”

Archive Highlight Animal Liberation: A Graphic Guide

In: Books

Animal Liberation: A Graphic Guide (1987. London, England.)

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!

Arkangel

In: Arkangel, Periodicals

Arkangel 1-5, 7-11 (1989-1994. 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 Do or Die

In: Do or Die, Most Popular, Periodicals

Do Or Die 1-10 (1993-2003, Brighton, 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.

Green Rage

In: Books, Most Popular

Green Rage: Radical environmentalism and the unmaking of civilization (1990, Boston, MA.)

One of the first books I bought about radical wilderness defense was Green Rage. It is an excellent investigation of the origins of (western) environmental radicalism, and I recommend that you read it cover to cover.

Speaking of covers, you might notice that this particular copy of Green Rage is a little ragged. The reason for that is because this is my copy, and after reading the book I took it’s message to heart. Several years ago in Oregon, a small group of activists from around the region were protesting at a breeding facility that supplied rabbits to the vivisection industry. When we arrived the farms owners were not present, and neither were any law enforcement. Not coincidentally I quickly found myself living with some critters who liked to chew on everything in our humble home. I hope you will enjoy Green Rage as much as they did!