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How does one join the A.L.F.?
A person joins the A.L.F. simply by doing A.L.F. actions.
There is no official membership. One simply becomes a member
by taking action in accordance with the A.L.F. Guidelines:
- To liberate animals from places of abuse (i.e. laboratories,
factory farms, fur farms, etc.) and place them in good homes
where they may live out their natural lives, free from suffering.
- To inflict economic damage to those who profit from
the misery and exploitation of animals.
- To reveal the horror and atrocities committed against
animals behind locked doors, by performing non-violent direct
actions and liberations.
- To take all necessary precautions against harming
any animal, both human and non-human.
One should not email No Compromise magazine asking how to
join the A.L.F. or ask other aboveground activists. This will
only alert law enforcement agents who may be tapping phone
lines, opening mail, etc.
An A.L.F. activist typically begins an action by her (or
his) self, or with a small core group of people who have been
proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be selflessly committed
to animal liberation. Typically, they are also people the
activist has known for several years. People who cannot keep
quiet when the A.L.F. is discussed or who like to speculate
about who may be doing actions ought to be avoided. On the
rare occasion that A.L.F. members feel it is necessary to
approach someone they haven’t known for years already,
it becomes vital that they spend extensive time alone with
the person, discussing issues that are not related to animal
rights, looking for indications of honesty, sincerity, and
soft-spokenness. Most of all, they ought to look for a sign
that the person has a serious understanding and a healthy
concern for the legal consequences of illegal direct action,
yet is not deterred by such concerns.
What are some of the types of security concerns new
A.L.F. activists need to think about?
First and foremost, any and all plans for A.L.F. actions
are made in-person. They are never discussed over the phone,
the computer, in one’s own house, or in the homes of
other activists. Instead, A.L.F. members take a walk when
they want to discuss anything sketchy, and they are careful
to avoid cloak-and-dagger suspicious behavior like what you’d
see in the movies.
With careful planning, meticulous reconnaissance and security
precautions, A.L.F. activists can reduce their risk of getting
caught to an absolute minimum. The experienced activist recognizes
the importance of trusting his own intuitive sense of danger,
avoiding patterns (like only striking on weekends), showing
respect to fellow warriors, and remembering that whatever
activists go through in a jail cell is nothing compared to
the pain inflicted on the animals.
Should A.L.F. actions be done close to home?
Underground activists typically recognize the importance
of not operating in areas where they may become a suspect
simply because they are known activists. Engaging in actions
outside of one’s own state is often preferable. The
first suspects in A.L.F. activity are always local animal
rights activists with arrest records or connections to the
militant animal liberation movement.
If an A.L.F. member lives in the city, s/he is most likely
going to operate in a different city or out in the country.
And s/he is certainly not going to visit other above-ground
activists in the area s/he is operating in. Neither is s/he
going to grab a bite to eat at the local vegetarian restaurant
(no matter how good the food is)! It’s also important
to gas up well away from the target area and to inspect one’s
vehicle for broken lights or expired registration tags and
to remove any identifying stickers or decals (although D.A.R.E.
stickers or “Support Your Local Sheriff” decals
can’t hurt).
If an A.L.F. cell is doing an action, and a fur farmer
or police officer catches one of the members, what should
the other cell members do?
One of the most important discussions an A.L.F. cell has
before an action is what to do if caught. You should never
enter into illegal activity with anyone who has not assured
other cell members that they will support and take care of
them should they be caught. No one can ever guarantee that
you won’t get caught, and you should refrain from ever
telling fellow activists there is “no chance”
of being apprehended. Such statements build a dangerous sense
of false security, which can lead to getting caught.
Besides the promise of legal and moral support once caught,
cell members should decide before doing an action on how to
handle a confrontation with law enforcement or security forces.
Cell members should assume these people will be armed, and
most likely have the law on their side, should they use violent
force. Even if you’re versed in martial arts, any time
you initiate physical confrontation, the risk of injury skyrockets.
I’ve heard of some A.L.F. cells carrying pepper spray
and stun guns for self-defense, but these certainly don’t
make one invincible.
In the 1940s, the French Resistance to Nazi occupation was
labeled by the Germans as “Noah’s Ark,”
since captured resistance fighters could only identify each
other through animal code names, even when tortured. They
operated on a need-to-know basis, as does the A.L.F. Many
times, French resistance fighters would be traveling to an
undercover safe house in Nazi-occupied territory, only to
see their fellow operatives being dragged away.
At these times, the resistance fighters were taught to not
even blink an eye and to keep walking, as nothing could be
gained in a fruitless effort to try to rescue them, (except,
of course, for another fighter to go down). Strategically,
it should be agreed that should one member be captured, the
others should not risk their own capture to secure the individual’s
release. It’s one thing if a member sprains an ankle
and needs assistance to retreat, but if a cell member is being
physically held or is at gun point, then damage control is
needed to guarantee that other cell members get away.
Of course, here is where emotional thinking often overrides
logical thought. When A.L.F. members witness someone they
love in distress it is hard, if not impossible and commendable,
to not try to help them. A.L.F. members must think of which
is more productive, though: going to jail with their comrades,
or proving their love and solidarity for them by continuing
animal liberation actions in their honor.
A.L.F. activists strive to stay in good physical shape, carefully
discuss a contingency plan should the unexpected take place,
avoid being unexpectedly separated from their fellow warriors
during an action, and remember that the capture of an A.L.F.
members isn’t just a personal loss; it’s a loss
for the animals as well.
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