Timeline of Animal Liberation Front actions, 2005-Present

This is a time line of Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...

(ALF) actions since 2005.

Background

ALF formed

Two years after Ronnie Lee

Ronnie Lee

Ronnie Lee is a British animal rights activist. He is known primarily for having founded the Animal Liberation Front in 1976. He also founded the magazine Arkangel in 1989.-Founding the ALF:...

and Cliff Goodman had been charged for the raid on the Oxford Laboratory Animal Colonies in Bicester

Bicester

Bicester is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and...

in 1974, as part of the Band of Mercy, the "Bicester Two" as they were known; Lee emerged even more militant than before. There had been daily demonstrations at the court during their trial, including Lee's local Labour Party member of parliament, Ivor Clemitson

Ivor Clemitson

Ivor Malcolm Clemitson was a British Labour politician.At the February 1974 general election, Clemitson was elected as Member of Parliament for Luton East. He held his seat at the October 1974 election, but at the 1979 general election, when he lost by 847 votes to the Conservative Graham...

. With the remaining activists from the Band of Mercy and another two dozen new willing activists, 30 in all, Lee formed the Animal Liberation Front upon his release in 1976.
It was reported that in the first year alone, the ALF targeted; slaughterhouse

Slaughterhouse

A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...

s, fur

Fur

Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...

riers, butcher

Butcher

A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...

s shops, circuses, breeders and fast-food restaurants, causing damage that totaled £250,000. The first fur farm raid was then heard of in the same year, with 1,000 foxes released from Dalchonzie fur farm in Scotland.
1980s and 1990s

The ALF was then founded throughout Europe and further broad in the 1980s, with notable raids including those removing the Silver Spring monkeys

Silver Spring monkeys

The Silver Spring monkeys were 17 wild-born macaque monkeys from the Philippines who lived inside the Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland...

and Britches

Britches (monkey)

Britches was a stump-tailed macaque monkey born into a breeding colony at the University of California, Riverside . He was removed from his mother at birth, had his eyelids sewn shut, and had an electronic sonar device attached to his head — a Trisensor Aid, an experimental version of a blind...

. Unnecessary Fuss

Unnecessary Fuss

Unnecessary Fuss is a film produced by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals , showing footage shot inside the University of Pennsylvania's Head Injury Clinic in Philadelphia....

, a film by PETA

Peta

Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...

with footage that the ALF stole, was also released which showed primate researchers laughing and joking at a baboon

Baboon

Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...

, as they inflict brain damage as part of a research project into head injuries caused by accidents.

The ALF then continued into the 1990s, causing even more damage, with notable actions such as the jointly claimed ALF and Earth Liberation Front

Earth Liberation Front

The Earth Liberation Front , also known as "Elves" or "The Elves", is the collective name for autonomous individuals or covert cells who, according to the ELF Press Office, use "economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the environment".The ELF was founded...

(ELF) arson at the U.S. Forest Service Oakridge Ranger Station, causing $5.3 million. A series of raids also followed, which frequently targeted fur farms and animal laboratories and their breeding facilities, including the Harlan

Harlan (company)

Harlan Sprague Dawley Inc. is one of the world's leading suppliers of animals and other services to laboratories for the purpose of animal testing...

Interfauna raid in Cambridge, by Barry Horne

Barry Horne

Barry Horne was an English animal rights activist. He became known around the world in December 1998, when he engaged in a 68-day hunger strike in an effort to persuade the British government to hold a public inquiry into animal testing, something the Labour Party had said it would do before it...

and Keith Mann

Keith Mann

Keith Mann is a British animal rights campaigner and writer, alleged by police in 2005 to be at the top of the Animal Liberation Front pyramid. He is the author of From Dusk 'til Dawn: An Insider's View of the Growth of the Animal Liberation Movement...

2005-2009

For previous article, see Timeline of Animal Liberation Front actions, 2000-2004

Timeline of Animal Liberation Front actions, 2000-2004

This is a time line of the Animal Liberation Front actions from 2000 to 2004.-Background:ALF formedTwo years after Ronnie Lee and Cliff Goodman had been charged for the raid on the Oxford Laboratory Animal Colonies in Bicester, UK, in 1974, as part of the Band of Mercy, the "Bicester Two" as they...

2005

January
A major security operation is set up in Clonmel

Clonmel

Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

for the National Coursing Festival after threats are made by the ALF. With the festivals 80th year and 25,000 members expected to arrive, extra security and gardai (Irish police) are drafted in to contain any potential incidents.

March 16

An ALF raid on a mink farm in Rome, Italy,saw 2,000 mink released.

May 26
A Vancouver-based brokerage announced that it had dropped a client, Phytopharm PLC, in response to a ALF firebombing of a car belonging to Canaccord executive Michael Kendall in London, England. The ALF stated on the Bite Back website a month later that activists had placed an incendiary device under the car, which was in Kendall's garage at home when it caught fire. Phytopharm was targeted, as were those doing business with it, because it had business links with Huntingdon Life Sciences

Huntingdon Life Sciences

Huntingdon Life Sciences is a contract animal-testing company founded in 1952 in England, with facilities in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire; Eye, Suffolk; New Jersey in the U.S., and Japan...

(HLS).
June 18
The ALF warned Phytopharm to stay away from Huntingdon or "see your share price crash and your supporters property go up in flames,"

July 4

The Oxford Arson Squad
Oxford Arson Squad
Oxford Arson Squad is a militant organization, which emerged in the United Kingdom in 2005 after claiming the firebombing of the Corpus Christi College Sports Pavilion at Oxford University...

, an ALF cell, caused their first arson in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

on 4 July resulting an estimated half a million pounds worth of damage.

The fire caused 26 boats in total to become unusable which were part of St Hilda’s, St Catherine’s, Hertford

Hertford College Boat Club

Hertford College Boat Club is a rowing club for members of Hertford College, Oxford. It is based in the Longbridges boathouse on the Isis, which is owned by the college and shared with St Hilda's, St Catz, Green Templeton and Mansfield...

, Mansfield and St Benet’s Hall

St Benet's Hall, Oxford

St Benet's Hall is a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford. It is located at the northern end of St Giles' on its western side, close to the junction with Woodstock Road.-Composition and status:...

boats and boat clubs.
Upon investigation the cause of the fire was attributed to incendiary devices which had been placed in the Eight's bays.

The group targeted the boathouse because of apparent ties to Oxford University. A posting to Bite Back said "We are stronger than you, we have more resolve than you and we never give up". Ed Mayne, spokesman for Oxford University, said that “Attacking one of the poorest boatclubs in Oxford certainly isn’t going to help them”

An incendiary device was found deactivated at Christ Church College
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...

's Sport Pavilion, despite the group claiming they had targeted Corpus Christi College
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...

.
Keith Mann
Keith Mann
Keith Mann is a British animal rights campaigner and writer, alleged by police in 2005 to be at the top of the Animal Liberation Front pyramid. He is the author of From Dusk 'til Dawn: An Insider's View of the Growth of the Animal Liberation Movement...

, a leading ALF member and most notorious animal rights extremist, has a tougher measure imposed on his sentence by the Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

. This was for his role in removing over 695 mice from Wickham Laboratories
Wickham Laboratories
Wickham Laboratories is a contract analytical testing laboratory that supports Food, Healthcare, Medical Device, and Flood disaster recovery industries...

.

August
ALF spokeperson, North American Press Officer and professor Steven Best

Steven Best

Steven Best is an American animal rights activist, author, talk-show host, and associate professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso...

is banned from entering the UK by the home secretary using hate laws. This follows the closure of Darley Oaks Farm by the ALF and ARM, as well as the July 7 Bombings in London, when the Home Office

Home Office

The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...

reported it would prevent people to enter the UK who "foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs; seek to provoke others to terrorist acts; [or] foment other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts." Dr Best has said that he doesn't want to reform vivisection

Vivisection

Vivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure...

ists, but to wipe them off the face of the planet, claiming that he is not a terrorist, but instead a threat.

October 26
Carr Securities announced it had withdrawn from making a market in HLS shares after a New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

yacht club was covered in red paint by the U.S. branch of the ALF, because members of the club worked for Carr Securities, which traded in HLS shares. The ALF announced on its bulletin board: "Let this be a message to any other company who chooses to court HLS in their ... entrance into the NYSE. If you trade in LSR shares, make a market, process orders, or purchase shares you can expect far worse treatment."

2006

March
"We will be back", "we'll shut you down" and graffiti referencing the ALF are spraypainted around Lothian greyhound track, with electrics ripped out, tractor-type vehicles wrecked and track safety boards dismantled causing £10,000 worth of damage. Previously activists have smashed vehicles, slashed tyres, cut electrical cables and painted the stadium.

April
The ALF send hoax

Hoax

A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...

explosive device

Explosive device

An explosive device is device that relies on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Explosive devices have applications as demolition devices and as weapons in the military....

s to five senior staff's homes linked to HLS, the animal research laboratory.

June

The ALF target UCLA researcher Lynn Fairbanks when a Molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...

is placed on the porch of what was believed to be his home on the 30 July; instead, it is left on the porch of his neighbor, an elderly woman unrelated to the university. After his personal information had been posted on the Primate Freedom Project
Primate Freedom Project
]The Primate Freedom Project is a 501 not-for-profit grassroots abolitionist animal rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. It is dedicated to ending the use of nonhuman primates in biomedical and harmful behavioral experimentation...

and having received threatening phone calls, Dario Ringach, an associate neurobiology professor at UCLA, issued a statement in August 2006, that he would discontinue his animal research into visual processing. University spokeswoman Judy Lin was quoted in the press as saying "this is a problem that's much larger than UCLA. These groups have been harassing researchers all over the world," she continued "It has reached terrorist level. The university is very disturbed by this." The ALF in a communique to the North American Animal Liberation Press Office
Animal Liberation Press Office
Animal Liberation Press Offices relay anonymous communiques, photos and videos to the media about direct action undertaken by the Animal Liberation Front , Animal Rights Militia , Animal Liberation Brigade, Justice Department, and other leaderless resistance within the animal liberation movement...

the following month replied: "If the primates could escape from there cages they would do this to Lynn Fairbanks and worse. Since they cant we did."

July

The ALF anonymously report to Bite Back
Bite Back
Bite Back is a Malaysia-registered website and magazine that promotes the cause of the animal liberation movement, and specifically the Animal Liberation Front...

on 26 July that they have broken into the an ex-military
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

laboratory, owned by QinetiQ
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...

, grabbing nine goats that were undergoing experiments in hyperbaric chambers. The tests are to simulate under water pressure, to attempt to research the symptoms and possible cures of decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...

and to study deep-sea rescue. Southern Animal Rights Coalition
Southern Animal Rights Coalition
The Southern Animal Rights Coalition is an umbrella organisation for groups campaigning against animal abuse in southern England. SARC campaign on a variety of issues, one being focusing on pets. They also campaign against animal testing, furs, wild boar farms and more recently foie gras and...

then campaigned to end the experiments. According to the group, the animals were tested in order to simulate under water pressure and were suspended in March with a committee of experts looking into alternative research models, such as computer-modelling and safe human trials, in an attempt to simulate the effects of decompression sickness
Decompression sickness
Decompression sickness describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization...

, or 'the bends', caused by ascending too quickly. The Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

then scrapped the experiments in February 2008 with goats, claiming that they were essential although they had now collected all the information necessary.

September

The ALF were linked to an attack on a fish farm near Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

in September 2006 which led to the deaths of thousands of halibut
Halibut
Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders . Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly and butt , for its popularity on Catholic holy days...

.

October

Six lorries belonging to Deans Foods, Cotswold Farm, a battery egg farm near Witney, were set on fire on the 26 October, using what the ALF described as sophisticated electronic incendiary devices, remotely detonated from miles away. They further claimed that the devices were the first of its kind to be used in the UK by the ALF, which caused £250,000 worth of damage, and also stated in a communique to Bite Back
Bite Back
Bite Back is a Malaysia-registered website and magazine that promotes the cause of the animal liberation movement, and specifically the Animal Liberation Front...

that the action was a warning and dedicated to Barry Horne
Barry Horne
Barry Horne was an English animal rights activist. He became known around the world in December 1998, when he engaged in a 68-day hunger strike in an effort to persuade the British government to hold a public inquiry into animal testing, something the Labour Party had said it would do before it...

and animal rights prisoners.

November

An arson, claimed by the ALF, was carried out at The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...

because of its financial relationship with Oxford University. The activists report in an anonymous communique to Bite Back a few days later: "Attacks will escalate in the face of an institution and government which have sought to destroy legal protest and continue to sanction violence to animals. For Barry
Barry Horne
Barry Horne was an English animal rights activist. He became known around the world in December 1998, when he engaged in a 68-day hunger strike in an effort to persuade the British government to hold a public inquiry into animal testing, something the Labour Party had said it would do before it...

"

December

Donald Currie, said by police to have been the ALF's most important bomb maker, was sentenced to 12 years in jail, with a recommendation of at least six years, after conducting a fire bomb campaign targeting suppliers and customers of Huntingdon Life Sciences.

2007

January

ALF activists enter Tegel Factory Broiler Farm in South Auckland
South Auckland
South Auckland is an imprecisely defined area of Auckland, New Zealand, often stereotyped as a socio-economically disadvantaged, and sometimes rough, urban area with a relatively large Polynesian and Māori population. The name South Auckland is not an official place name but is in common use by New...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, whose owner was found guilty of cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...

by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...

in 1996, because three sheep died suffering from distress and pain. They claimed the birds were crammed into cages, unable to spread their wings, walk, and were surrounded by dead animals. Activists claimed in a communique to Auckland Animal Action
Auckland Animal Action
Auckland Animal Action was formed in August 1996 by a small group of people seeing the need for a grassroots activist group that promoted direct action against all forms of animal abuse. Since then, AAA has run campaigns against all forms of animal abuse, most notably the Fur Free Auckland...

the rescuing of five birds and removal of ten dead birds, which were then sent to an individual responsible for the suffering and death. The said the company had; "no interest in animal welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...

at all."
University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

neuroscientist
Neuroscientist
A neuroscientist is an individual who studies the scientific field of neuroscience or any of its related sub-fields...

Audie Leventhal's home is doused in glass-eating acid, covering it with animal rights slogans such as "Cat Killer". Damages estimated at $20,000.

February

Incendiary devices were found at Templeton College, Oxford
Templeton College, Oxford
Templeton College was one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, England. It was an all-graduate college, concentrating on the recruitment of students in business and management studies....

; Robin Webb
Robin Webb
Robin Webb is an English animal rights activist. He is a former member of the ruling council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , and former director of Animal Aid...

said as a continuation of a campaign against Oxford University's proposed new biomedical center, which will house and conduct experiments on animals. They claimed that the action was "...part of an ongoing fight against the University of Oxford and its continued reign of terror over the unseen victims inside its animal labs.".
In Estonia, locks of two fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...

shops are glued and one has ALF painted on the wall.

March
On 6 March, the financial adviser and first vice-president of Wachovia Securities is targeted in Portland, Oregon, because the ALF allege that Wachovia own over half a billion dollars in shares in GlaxoSmithKline. "Drop SSK" was spray-painted on his garage and ALF "scrawled" across his car in black paint.

April

A hunting supply shop has windows smashed and door painted, claimed by ALF Estonia reporting; "We have only just begun".
The ALF again target another Wachovia Securities V.P. in Portland, because the company invest in GlaxoSmithKline, a HLS customer. His SUV is spray-painted with slogans, with the activists threatening Wachovia saying; "We have the names and addresses of the top executives, and believe us our actions are like childs play compared to what we have in store."
Another home owned by Audie Leventhal has house locks glued and salt poured on the lawn.

June
An estimated £500,000 in damages is caused in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

after two fuel tankers are blown up with incendiary devices. ALF activists vow to continue targeting livestock

Livestock

Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...

businesses.
August

The ALF report that they have targeted the home of an animal researcher for the Oregon National Primate Research Center
Oregon National Primate Research Center
The Oregon National Primate Research Center is one of eight federally funded National Primate Research Centers in the United States and has been affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University since 1998. The center is located on of land west of Portland, Oregon, in Hillsboro...

, at the Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland and a smaller campus in Hillsboro...

, spray-painting "ALF Eyes On You" on his garage and covering his daughter's car with a white foamy chemical. In a communique to the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, the ALF said that his involvement in research into the effect of nicotine
Nicotine
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants that constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves...

on fetuses should stop. The researcher responded by stating he mainly worked on cultured cells
Cell culture
Cell culture is the complex process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions. In practice, the term "cell culture" has come to refer to the culturing of cells derived from singlecellular eukaryotes, especially animal cells. However, there are also cultures of plants, fungi and microbes,...

and "does as little research on animals as possible."
2,500 mink are released from unlocked cages at a fur farm in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. EVR was left spray-painted on a feed silo at the farm, standing for the Finnish ALF.

September
2,500 mink are released from their cages in Mustasaari, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, with 'EVR' painted at the farm. A Chief Inspector

Chief inspector

Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...

made the connection that it stood for the ALF in Finnish.

October

UCLA researcher Edythe London's home was vandalized, during which a window was broken and a garden hose inserted, flooding her home and causing over $20,000 in damages. In the communique released following the action, the ALF promised to return if necessary:

The headquarters of Escada
Escada
Escada is an international luxury fashion group in women's designer clothing. The company has a presence in about 60 different countries. Its main sales markets are North America, western and eastern Europe and Asia. It filed bankruptcy in August 2009, and was acquired by Megha Mittal, in November...

is vandalized in Estonia because of the companies marketing of fur.

November

Activists claim the liberation of over 100 hens from Shepherd's Egg Farm near Spanish Fork, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

, on the 5th. They claimed there were several sheds containing tens of thousands of chickens, many of which in bad conditions and that the hens were rehomed where they can go outside. The said in a communique, activists claim that around the world the ALF are making progress, and dedicate the action to all animal liberation prisoners, including Barry Horne
Barry Horne
Barry Horne was an English animal rights activist. He became known around the world in December 1998, when he engaged in a 68-day hunger strike in an effort to persuade the British government to hold a public inquiry into animal testing, something the Labour Party had said it would do before it...

, died six years ago today on a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...

.

Farm operators said they were confused by the raid, and that no damage had been done to indicate it had happened.

Vehicles allegedly belonging to a researcher of the Department of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University were firebombed as well as a director's sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....

of Acorn Integrated systems who the group accused is aiding the construction of the laboratory. The ALF claim that for Barry Horne
Barry Horne
Barry Horne was an English animal rights activist. He became known around the world in December 1998, when he engaged in a 68-day hunger strike in an effort to persuade the British government to hold a public inquiry into animal testing, something the Labour Party had said it would do before it...

and Felix, the actions will continue.

Auckland Animal Action receives an anonymous communique and undercover footage, exposing animals suffering from ammonia burns, overcrowding, eye infections due to a lack of water, as well as workers punching a bird. As part of the six week investigation, 30 ducks are rescued in order to live out their natural lives, with the ALF claiming:

Three Wachovia Banks are attacked in California, involving graffiti and jamming or destroying the night deposit box
Safe deposit box
A safe deposit box or wrongly referred to as a safety deposit box is an individually-secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions...

using exposives. The ALF claimed the vandalism by sending communiques to the Animal Liberation Press Office, media outlets and Wachovia. The company was the largest shareholder of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) largest shareholder, selling its shares following the actions.

December

The Animal Liberation Front took credit for targeting the home of a Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland and a smaller campus in Hillsboro...

(OHSU) researcher who conducts reproductive studies on primates inside the Oregon National Primate Research Center. The researcher awoke to find the words "Sadist
Sadism and masochism as medical terms
In psychiatry, the terms sadism and masochism describe a personality type characterized by the actor or actrix deriving pleasure and gratification from inflicting physical pain and humiliation ; and from suffering pain and humiliation upon the self ; such pleasure often is sexual, but not...

" and "ALF" spray painted on his Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

and Jeep Grand Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a Mid-size SUV produced by the Jeep division of Chrysler. While some other SUVs were manufactured with body on frame construction, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always used a unibody chassis.- Development :...

cars. The vehicles were also reportedly damaged by paint stripper. This was the second OHSU researcher to have his property damaged by ALF in less than 6 months.
Two homes in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, which belonged to the joint-master and hunt secretary of the Golden Valley Hunt, had property spray painted. The activists only left initials for anti-hunting groups the ALF and HRS (Hunt Retribution Squad
Hunt Retribution Squad
The Hunt Retribution Squad is a name used by militant animal rights activists that are willing to inflict harm on those involved in blood sport...

).
Following a sustained campaign from animal rights groups, two properties in Cassington
Cassington
Cassington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northwest of Oxford. The village lies on gravel strata about from the confluence of the River Evenlode with the River Thames. The parish includes the hamlet of Worton northeast of the village and the site of the former hamlet of...

and Kidlington
Kidlington
Kidlington is a large village and civil parish between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and southwest of Bicester.-History:...

were graffiti-ed, with van tyres burst at one of the locations. Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....

said they were investigating the acts of "minor criminal damage", with the ALF claiming it would "stop businesses dealing with the uni".
KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...

in Bremerton, Washington, had "Animal Love," "Mess with Animals get Served," and "Meat is Murder" spray-painted on the exterior of the building. Officers found ALF left on the restaurant, as well as "Boycott KFC" fliers plastered on the exterior.
Activists in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

painted graffiti on the homes of several Van Der Looy employees due to the company's involvement with a life-science industrial park. On January 7, the company announced it was pulling out of building project and stated that the activists had acted in an "unacceptable intimidating attitude".

2008

January
ALF volunteers raided Highgate Rabbit Farm

Campaign against Highgate Rabbit Farm

The campaign against Highgate Rabbit Farm, also known as the Close Highgate Farm campaign, is a series of direct actions by anti-vivisection activists. Highgate Rabbit Farm in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire in England is licensed by the Home Office to breed rabbits and ferrets for animal-testing...

on January 6, and removed 129 rabbits which they said were due to end up in laboratories for animal research. The owner said he was shocked and disappointed when discovering he had been burgled, citing concern for the rabbits which he believed would not survive in the wild and would be unsuitable as pets. A quad bike, lawnmower, van and a sports car were also reported to have been paintstripped and glued during the visit causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. The volunteers accused the owner of selling rabbits to laboratories such as Huntingdon Life Sciences and other universities in the United Kingdom.

February

University of Hasselt
Hasselt University
Hasselt University is a university with campuses in Hasselt and Diepenbeek, Belgium. It was founded in 1971, as the Limburgs Universitair Centrum...

's Biomedical Research Institute in the town of Diepenbeek
Diepenbeek
Diepenbeek is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2006 Diepenbeek had a total population of 17,706. The total area is 41.19 km² which gives a population density of 430 inhabitants per km²....

, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

was burned to the ground. "ALF" was written on a building nearby.
The ALF return and an incendiary device is left at the front door of UCLA researcher Edythe London's home in Los Angeles early on February 5. The device charred the front door. Nobody was home at the time.

Three goats are liberated from Carpinteria High School
Carpinteria High School
Carpinteria High School is a high school located in Carpinteria, California. Located adjacent to the foothills on the edge of the Carpinteria Valley, it is the only public high school in Carpinteria and serves a student body of approximately 700 students in grades 9-12.-Athletics:Carpinteria High...

in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

and discovered wandering in a rural area, in an action claimed against the teaching of anthropocentrism
Anthropocentrism
Anthropocentrism describes the tendency for human beings to regard themselves as the central and most significant entities in the universe, or the assessment of reality through an exclusively human perspective....

.

On the third year anniversary of the Hunting Act, activists targeted the Duke of Beaufort's and VWH kennels, as well as the Hunting HQ in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

. "Enforce the ban" and "ALF" were painted on the driveways of both hunts and the walls of the Hunting Office. Some cars and lorrys had paint stripper poured onto them, with others having their tyres let down. The Masters of Foxhounds Association said it appeared the Animal Liberation Front had been in three places in one night. The activists in a message to Bite Back website said:

"Stop Selling Foie Gras' and "Ban Foie Gras" were spray painted on the walls of Midsummer House in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

. The Animal Liberation Front reported to the Cambridge Evening News
Cambridge Evening News
The Cambridge News is a British daily newspaper published each weekday and on Saturdays. It is distributed from its parent company Cambridge Newspapers Ltd's Milton base which was opened in 1991 as a print works, and became the Evening News main operational hub in 1998...

that they had poured etching fluid over windows, paint stripper on window frames and glued the locks of the restaurant. It has also been the subject of protests by Cambridge Animal Rights, although denied any involvement in the action that initially caused an estimated £3,000 in damage, but was then calculated later to exceed £6,000. The next day, the owner announced that he had taken the dish off the menu, saying he felt pushed into the decision following attacks by the ALF and a brick thrown through the restaurants window after 7pm one Saturday evening.

April

A campaign by the ALF, PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...

and In Defense of Animals
In Defense of Animals
In Defense of Animals is an animal rights organization founded in 1983 in San Rafael, California, USA. It has 60,000 members and an annual budget of $650,000. The group's slogan is "working to protect the rights, welfare, and habitats of animals"....

, leads to San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...

suspending their controversial art exhibition. It is claimed that death threats, amongst others, were used in an attempt to shut down the event.
50 mink released from a fur farm in Jefferson, Oregon
Jefferson, Oregon
Jefferson is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,487 at the 2000 census...

and breeding records destroyed. The Fur Commission USA claims all mink were recovered, but estimates the dollar loss for the destroyed breeding records was $5,000.
The ALF claim responsibility for spraypainting "Drop Oxford Uni" on shutters at Steve Rusk Plumbers, Wootton Road Industrial Estate, Oxford. The activists said the attack was carried out due to the companies involement with the laboratory at South Parks Road owned by Oxford University.

June

In an effort to force UCLA to end their primate experiments, the ALF torch a UCLA van.

July
Ahead of the shooting season the ALF cause extensive damage to grouse pens and electric fencing around Ilkley Moor. Bingley Moor Partnership, which won rights for grouse shooting on the moors, said due to shortage of grouse stocks there wouldn't be any activity for at least two years. The Moorland Association branded the branded the action as "criminal".
August

ALF activists claim responsibility for releasing 6,000 mink from Rippin Fur Farm before opening the farm gate in Aldergrove
Aldergrove, British Columbia
Aldergrove is a small town within the jurisdiction of the The Township of Langley, a municipality within Greater Vancouver. Located at the southeastern edge of both Langley and Greater Vancouver, and nearby to the metropolitan area of Abbotsford, British Columbia just east, Aldergrove has a...

, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. This was done near Aldergrove Lake Park, which activists claim "provides over 200 acres of water habitat for them to survive."
A press officer for the ALF reports that 300 mink had been released and breeding cards destroyed at a South Jordan mink farm.

September

Thousands of mink were released and the records were destroyed at a Davis County, Utah
Davis County, Utah
Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 306,479, a 28.2% increase over the 2000 figure of 238,994. It was named for Daniel C. Davis, captain in the Mormon Battalion. The county is part of the Ogden–Clearfield Metropolitan Statistical Area as...

mink farm. The Fur Commission USA claims most of the mink were re-captured and that at least half a dozen died.
Four Barclays Banks are vandalised in Hampshire during the month, because of Barclays previous trading in HLS shares. Slogans are painted including "Scum", "Murderers" and "ALF". In the same month a Fedex van is covered in slogans and has tyres slashed in Wickham. In January 2011 Thomas Harris pleaded guilty to "conspiracy to cause criminal damage" for his role in planning the attacks.
Supporters of the ALF and other animal rights campaigners are given £40,000 compensation, aftey they were preveted from attending a demonstration against live exports. The London activists were travelling to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...

in July 2006 on their way to a protest against sheep and cattle being deported, before they were reportedley photographed, threatened with arrest and unlawfully denied the right to protest.

December

ALF Netherlands claim responsibility for setting on fire two cars belonging to a Euronext
Euronext
Euronext N.V. is a pan-European stock exchange based in Amsterdam and with subsidiaries in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. In addition to equities and derivatives markets, the Euronext group provides clearing and information services...

employee in Wassenaar
Wassenaar
Wassenaar is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. A fairly affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies 10 km north of that city on the N44 highway near the North Sea coast. It is part of the Haaglanden region...

, because the company trade shares in HLS. Activists also claimed covering the home of NYSE Euronext director with slogans in Noordwijkerhout
Noordwijkerhout
Noordwijkerhout is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 23.40 km² and had a population of 15,121 in May 2006...

on the same day and burning out two cars belonging to another Euronext employees three weeks before.

2009

January

A fake bomb is planted at University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...

, leading to evacuations at the University's school of medicine. The ALF claimed responsibility with an official press release and three phone calls.
A Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...

councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...

has two cars covered in acid (paint stripped) and tyres slashed, because of her support for the Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...

moor shoot
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...

. The ALF claim responsibility with an anonymous posting on the Bite Back website.

February

The ALF is accused of filming inside Ireland's six known fur farms, showing clips of distressed mink the footage is later released by the Coalition Against The Fur Trade (CAFT).
Mel Broughton
Mel Broughton
Mel Broughton is a British landscape gardener who has risen to public prominence as one of the UK's most notable animal rights advocates...

is jailed for 10 years, described as an ardent and determined activist and vegan, he is sentenced for planning and possibly carrying out the arson attacks against Oxford University college buildings on the university by the ALF.

March

The DBF (Dutch ALF) release 3,000 mink from a fur farm in the Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...

province, near Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, on the night of Saturday 14. In a communique, the ALF claimed to of also destroyed breeding cards in 20 of the sheds, damaged nets and painted 'DBF is everywhere'. Vegan Streaker Peter Janssen is later arrested on suspicion of the raid.
A fire broke out at a livestock auction in Ussel
Ussel, Corrèze
Ussel is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Its inhabitants are named Ussellois. The town is best known for its charming old streetscapes and for its pastoral and natural landscapes offering a perfect setting for green alternative vacations.-Location:The community of Ussel is...

(Corrèze
Corrèze
Corrèze is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River.The inhabitants of the department are called Corréziens or Corréziennes according to gender.-History:...

), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, in the early hours of Saturday 28. The initials 'ALF' were found painted on the building, causing future auctions to be cancelled.

July
Shortly after The Advertiser reported pigeons were getting trapped under the railway bridge in Fetcham

Fetcham

Fetcham is a village in Surrey, England. It is west of Leatherhead, on the other side of the River Mole and Mill Pond springs and the associated nature reserve....

, Leatherhead

Leatherhead

Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...

, which was due to the council's policy of pigeon-proofing the area, a man contacted the media and reported that the ALF were claiming responsibility for cutting the netting, and said they would watching who puts more up.

November
Carrie Feldman and Scott DeMuth are indicted on a charge of conspiracy to commit vandalism, under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is a United States federal law that prohibits any person from engaging in certain conduct "for the purpose of damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise." The statute covers any act that either "damages or causes the loss of any real or...

, following the 2004 raid of the University of Iowa

University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

, when the ALF claimed responsibility for vandalizing two labs and three offices.

December
Police detain three youths in Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

after investigators find links between the ALF and homemade bombs that burned seven vehicles. The symbol of a local version of the ALF was found painted near in the attacks.

2010

April

The Sheepskin Factory in Glendale, Colorado is destroyed by arson on April 30. According to the Denver Post, in June, an Internet posting associated with Bite Back
Bite Back
Bite Back is a Malaysia-registered website and magazine that promotes the cause of the animal liberation movement, and specifically the Animal Liberation Front...

claims ALF responsibility for the arson.

May

A leather store in Salt Lake City, Utah is destroyed by arson on May 31. According to the Denver Post, in June, an Internet posting associated with Bite Back
Bite Back
Bite Back is a Malaysia-registered website and magazine that promotes the cause of the animal liberation movement, and specifically the Animal Liberation Front...

claims ALF responsibility for the arson.

July

After previous arsons in Utah by the same individual, ALF Lone Wolf sets a third fire, this time to Tiburon restaurant in Sandy.

August

In an action costing the Greek Fur Industry potentially exceeding €1 million, the ALF in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, report they released 50,000 mink from two fur farms in the towns of Kastoria and Siatista, described as the heart of Greece's fur industry. Greece's National Fur Breeders' Association claimed in response to the attacks that most of the animals would likely die due to the heat.

October

The owner of Capilano Furs has his car painted black and tyres slashed. Later that say day ALF Canada claim responsibility for the vandalism, as well as attacks against another clothing store and a restaurant.
ALF claim they removed a large amount of fencing from a deer farm in Molalla
Molalla, Oregon
Molalla is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,647 at the 2000 census.-History:Molalla was named after the Molalla River, which in turn was named for the Molala, a Native American tribe that inhabited the area. William H. Vaughan took up a donation land claim in...

, Oregon, with the intention of releasing deer into the surrounding forest. However there were no animals on the land when the fence was cut. Ranchers claimed they weren't worried by the attempted liberation, while an anonymous email sent to the North American Animal Liberation Press Office stated; "The venison meat industry remains small in this country, but as long as they exploit sentient animals, they will remain a target of the ALF." The FBI noted the incident as minor vandalism, rather than terrorism.

External links

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Background

2005-2009

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

See also

Further reading

External links