Jordan Halliday, photo by Deseret News.

• Feds says Halliday is “making a mockery of the rule of law” as they use a draconian, secret court. Halliday was found in contempt of court for refusing to testify before a grand jury, a secret proceeding where witnesses are not allowed to have attorneys present. His attorney asserted Halliday’s First Amendment right to free association, and suggested that the government has used illegal surveillance tactics. It is the FBI and prosecutors, not Halliday, who are making a mockery of the law.
• Feds say they’re preventing crime, and admit they’re inspiring crime. Two animal rights activists were arrested as “terrorists” for allegedly raiding fur farms, and the Feds says this grand jury will bring additional criminals to justice. Yet the FBI is already warning of “sympathy attacks” by groups like the Animal Liberation Front. In other words, the FBI acknowledges that going after lawful, above-ground activists, and jailing them for refusing to participate in political witch hunts, will actually inspire more illegal activity. If FBI agents know that targeting above-ground activists leads to underground crimes, yet they continue to do so, it shows that the real target isn’t the ALF: it’s First Amendment activity.

When Halliday’s attorney was asked if jail time will change his decision to not cooperate, he replied: “I understand it’s not going to change anything. He’s adamant about his position.”

Write him:

Jordan Halliday #324013
c/o Salt Lake County Metro Jail
3415 S. 900 W.
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
USA

On May 21st in Austria, the government carried out an unprecedented round-up of the country’s most prominent, above-ground, lawful animal advocates. Some of them have been on hunger strike in protest. The Guardian reports that “shelter workers, animal welfare teachers and public campaign organizers” are held “under suspicion of membership in ‘a criminal organisation.’”

Well, a judge in Austria recently ruled to keep them behind bars because they pose a “security risk.” An example of this security risk cited by the court is that Martin Balluch (who writes about his hunger strike here), was asked if he would remain chairman of the Association Against Animal Factories if he were released, and he said yes.

In Austria, as in the United States, this has all been done in the name of fighting “terrorism” and disrupting “terrorist organizations” like the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front. But just like in Sara Whitehead’s case, the Austrian roundup has only added fuel to the fire of underground activists.

Bite Back Magazine reports this translation of an anonymous communiqué from Germany: “But we released at least 2000 mink! We gave them a chance to escape. A chance is better because in a few months they will be killed by the farmer. These animals deserve freedom! This action is dedicated to the imprisoned Austrian animal activists!”

So this “War on Terror” ain’t workin’. But I argue that it isn’t MEANT to work. It’s not meant to stop illegal activity, because in many ways, illegal activity isn’t the true threat. The true threat is that the beliefs of these individuals–that animals and the environment deserve the same consideration as human interests–are gaining massive ground. Austria is one of the most progressive countries in the world in terms of protecting animals. And many of the activists that were rounded up were working on a constitutional amendment on animal welfare.

Martin Balluch, who has a double PhD in physics and philosophy and is a former colleague of Stephen Hawking, said it quite well in this ominous interview prior to his arrest:

“The moment the politicians can portray you as terrorists and are believed, they have won this battle, no matter what.”

As both the US and UK governments (and many others) are cracking down on animal rights and environmental activists, labeling them as terrorists and hitting them with outrageous prison sentences, supporters say it is for a few reasons. First, they say that these activists are national security threats. Second, they say that this boot-on-the-throat approach will deter future illegal activity by underground, “eco-terrorist” groups like the Animal Liberation Front.

But here’s a recent example of how this “Green Scare” plays out in real life.

A UK activist named Sara Whitehead was just sentenced to 2 years in prison for rescuing a beagle from an abusive home. That’s right, two years. Neighbors had filed complaints with the police and the RSPCA, to no avail. When Whitehead rescued the dog, cops pounced surprisingly quickly: it turns out Whitehead, like many activists, was already under police surveillance.

So has this use of police resources, to crack down on a woman rescuing an abused dog, deterred illegal activity by “eco-terrorist” groups like the Animal Liberation Front?

Far from it.

Bite Back Magazine has published an anonymous communiqué that says:

“Animal liberation volunteers are claiming responsibility for the direct intervention in the animal farming industry, as an act of solidarity with Sarah Whitehead who is currently behind bars for doing the right thing. While Sarah remains locked in her cell for freeing animals from pain and misery, volunteers successfully liberated 50 Turkeys from an Eastern factory farm.

This action means these sentient beings were spared from constant suffering, their lives destined to be cut short with the blade of slaughterhouse machinery. No longer will their existence be to fill the mouths of a salivating and greedy nation. They now exist as valued individuals, remaining happy and free.

Love and liberation for Sarah and all other captive individuals!
Animal Liberation Front”

This isn’t a new phenomenon. After a US court convicted the SHAC 7 on “animal enterprise terrorism” charges for running a controversial website, underground activists retaliated. And after lawmakers passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, underground activists retaliated.

The outrageous prison sentences, the scare-mongering legislation, the spying: it’s not deterring underground activists. It’s only giving them one more reason to fight.

But lets stop for a moment so we can truly appreciate the absurdity of this situation. This is what the global “War on Terrorism” has become: an “animal rights terrorist” sentenced to two years in prison for rescuing a dog, and the method of retaliation chosen by the “terrorists” is… saving more lives.

You reap what you sow.

That seems to be the lesson corporations and the government should take away from the prosecution of activists on “animal enterprise terrorism” charges for running a website. The activists, dubbed the SHAC 7, weren’t accused of breaking windows, gluing locks or rescuing animals from labs– but they unapologetically supported those who did. Industry groups said the prosecution of the SHAC 7, and the recent passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, would deter illegal actions in the name of protecting animals and the environment.

So much for that.

There was yet another illegal action claimed by the Animal Liberation Front this week and dedicated to the SHAC 7. From the anonymous communiqué published by Bite Back Magazine:

Greetings from México.
Two FLA (Frente de Liberación Animal) strikes very early this morning in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
The first target was a big fur store, where all locks and doors were glued, threw paint bombs and wrote “Frente de Liberación Animal”, “Muerte” and “Cada Piel es una Muerte”.
The second target was a KFC, that was painted with paint bombs.

In Support of all ALF and ELF cells and dedicated to the SHAC 7.
This fight for life won’t end until the day we die.
Vegan Revolution!

This is in addition to other acts of sabotage dedicated to the imprisoned activists.

The conviction of activists on “terrorism” charges for First Amendment activity seems to have fueled the campaigns of aboveground groups as well. The “SHAC 7 Week of Action” in the United States last week featured protests in Denver, Salt Lake City, New York, Long Island, Philadelphia, D.C., Portland, Los Angeles and Tampa at the homes and offices of those who do business with Huntingdon Life Sciences, the controversial animal testing laboratory.

From CloseHLS.net:

The SHAC-7 Week of Action has concluded with an amazing showing of strength for the U.S. campaign against HLS, and an amazing showing of support for the SHAC-7. Over 130 activists in 9 different U.S. cities took to the homes and business of HLS supporters in independently organized demonstrations against HLS associates Merck, AstraZeneca, Wyeth, Pfizer, Phenomenex, Wachovia Securities, OSI Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Vital Trust, Huntsman Corp., and more.

Also notable is that these demonstrations all took place a mere week after the passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act – a bill the government thought would scare all of us out of continuing to exercise our First Amendment rights to the fullest in order to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences. The campaign against HLS continues to grow stronger as major HLS customers and suppliers are hammered in cities across the U.S. and across the globe, with many cities planning more demos in the upcoming weeks before Christmas.

There’s also a slideshow of the protests, appropriately accompanied by Johnny Cash singing “I wont’ back down.”

Corporations and industry groups have said again and again that Green Scare legislation like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is needed to crackdown on illegal actions by underground groups like the Animal Liberation Front. Stiffer penalties and “eco-terrorist” rhetoric, the reasoning goes, will make put an end to illegal actions in the name of protecting animals and the environment.

Underground activists, meanwhile, don’t seem to be worrying too much about the scare-mongering legislation. And the fact that it’s being used to go after legal, non-violent activists like the SHAC 7 seems to have only stoked the flames.

Two recent communiqués from underground activists speak for themselves.

On November 29 Bite Back Magazine reported:

received anonymously:

“On Monday morning employees at Antares Pharmaceuticals discovered that over 30 windows at their offices in Minnetonka, MN had been damaged by glass etching solution. This is the price companies pay for working with HLS. Cut all ties to HLS and you will be left alone. It’s that simple. Every company working with HLS needs to realize this and stop doing business with puppy killers before they are forced to spend thousands of dollars on repairs to their offices.

Dedicated to the SHAC 7!”

And on November 5 Bite Back reported:

anonymous communiqué:

“While the Government and Thames Valley Police have been busy doing the bidding of the vivisection industry by passing repressive laws and making peaceful protest impossible, the ALF has also been busy, recruiting and reorganising in Oxfordshire. On the night of Saturday Oct 28 a new cell of volunteers visited Deans Farm near Witney where tens of thousands of hens are kept in battery cages. For the first time in UK sophisticated electronic incendiary devices were placed under 6 vehicles and remotely detonated from miles away. These new devices are incredibly powerful and all six lorries were completely destroyed. This attack should serve as a warning to Oxford University, the building contractor Mace Plus Ltd and all companies that profit from animal cruelty that the ALF is watching you and know this, you will be held to account. This warning is clear and unambiguous. This action is dedicated to the memory of Barry Horne and to all animal rights prisoners. Now is the time – the time is now.”

So much for deterrence.

It remains to be seen how the animal rights and environmental movements will respond to the sentencing of the SHAC 7, but one thing seems to be clear: it hasn’t phased underground, illegal activists one bit.

On Tuesday, Wayne Parry of the Associated Press quoted a spokeswoman for the SHAC 7 saying that the government’s crackdown on above-ground activists, who simply exercised their First Amendment rights and ran a controversial website, will only push more activists to commit illegal actions. “There’s a message going out to protesters that it’s safer to go out at night to break windows,” she said.

The U.S. Attorney’s office didn’t like that at all.

“That’s the kind of twisted logic we’ve been dealing with from these militant animal rights followers who can rationalize their behavior, inspire others to do likewise, and refuse to take responsibility for their actions,” said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. “It’s just unbelievable that they can view harsh prison sentences this way.”

Well, that “twisted logic” doesn’t seem to be too twisted. Today I caught wind of an anonymous communiqué claiming credit for rescuing 23 rabbits from a vivisection lab in rural Massachusetts, saying the action was in honor of the SHAC 7.

Six of the rabbits are named Jake, Lauren, Kevin, Andy, Josh, and Darius, after the defendants. (Who knew the balaclava-and-bolt-cutter set was so PR savvy?)

From the communiqué:

And while the SHAC-7 will soon go to jail for simply speaking out on behalf of animals, those of us who have done all the nasty stuff talked about in the courts and in the media will still be free. So to those who still work with HLS and to all who abuse animals: we’re coming for you, motherfuckers.

It gave me a chill reading this the first time. The message of the communiqué is unmistakable: Going after above-ground activists might have gotten the government some brownie points with industry groups that want to eliminate pesky activists, but it only added a little fuel to the fire of those committing the crimes already.

And the government’s message to legal, above-ground activists was equally clear: We’re not able to catch the saboteurs, so we’re coming after you.