Posted in Activists Arrested, Legal Issues, Media on Oct 5th, 2009
Jake Ferguson was the lead arsonist in the “Operation Backfire” Earth Liberation Front actions in the Northwest. He was involved in more than a dozen arsons, more crimes than any other defendant. But he is walking the streets, free, because he became a government informant. He wore a wire and entrapped his friends into make [...]
Posted in Activism & Activists' Response, Activists Arrested, Legal Issues, Opposition on Feb 5th, 2009
Poster by Just Seeds Collective, justseeds.orgDespite my deep-seated distaste for all things Baltimore (my apologies to folks in Bawlmor, but your town and I don’t seem to get along), I’ve been watching HBO’s The Wire on Netflix. The series—created by David Simon, a 13-year-veteran of the The Baltimore Sun—is structured so that each episode is [...]
Posted in Opposition, Terrorism Definitions, Terrorism Rhetoric on Nov 25th, 2008
Come December 7, it will have been three years since the “Operation Backfire” arrests of Earth Liberation Front members, for a string of arsons and property crimes in the Northwest that caused upwards of $48 million in damages. Those defendants were hit with “terrorism enhancement” penalties for their crimes, which never harmed anyone, and are [...]
Posted in Activists Arrested, Legal Issues on Jun 19th, 2008
From The Seattle Times:
The woman convicted in an ecoterror attack at the University of Washington has been sentenced to six years in prison.
TACOMA, Wash. -The woman convicted in an ecoterror attack at the University of Washington has been sentenced to six years in prison.
KIRO-TV reports that Briana Waters asked for mercy because she has a [...]
Posted in Activists Arrested, Legal Issues on Apr 30th, 2008
It’s Not Over: An Update to the “Green Scare”
April 29, 2008
By Will Potter
As the trial of Briana Waters wound down in March, as jurors deliberated her innocence or guilt, and as the press largely ignored her “eco-terrorism” case in lieu of Obama-Clinton-Anybody-But-Bush mania, it seemed, just for a moment, like one chapter of the “War [...]
Posted in Activists Arrested, Legal Issues on Mar 6th, 2008
Briana Waters has been found guilty of two counts of arson for the 2001 arson at the University of Washington, claimed by the Earth Liberation Front.
The jury hasn’t been able to reach a verdict on the other three counts. Among those, the most important, using a destructive device during a crime of violence. That [...]
Posted in Media, Terrorism Rhetoric on Mar 5th, 2008
UPDATE: This blog post was also published by Counterpunch, on March 07, 2008.
Multi-million dollar mansions in a Seattle suburb–each about 4,200-4,750 square feet, going for about $2 million a pop, touted as “green”– were burned Monday. About $7 million in damage on the “Street of Dreams.” Nobody injured, [...]
Posted in GNR, Media Coverage on Feb 10th, 2008
This interview is in the latest issue of The Abolitionist (Australia). I spoke with Claudette Vaughan, the chief editor, about the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, the “Green Scare,” and the politics of fear. Here it is below, and also be sure to check out the other articles on their site.
Abolitionist: What did you say at [...]
Posted in Activists Arrested, Legal Issues on Jan 24th, 2008
Considering that the “eco-terrorism” arrests dubbed “Operation Backfire” didn’t even make it into the local paper’s top 20 news stories of 2007, and the National Association of Manufacturers claims “boy, we sure didn’t hear about this” (which I find very, very hard to believe), I thought I’d highlight a good series of background articles on [...]
Posted in Terrorism Rhetoric on Jan 24th, 2008
The FBI says “The No. 1 domestic terrorism threat is the eco-terrorism, animal-rights movement.” And when the Feds rounded up environmental advocates as part of “Operation Backfire,” Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez said, “In all, their trail of destruction across the Pacific Northwest and beyond resulted in millions of dollars of property damage. Today’s indictment is [...]
The War on Terrorism has come home. Corporations and politicians are labeling activists "eco-terrorists" and national security threats. Think red-baiting, with a green twist. Here you'll find original reporting and analysis of the Green Scare, and history repeating itself.