interview with a UK A.L.F. activist
alf_cl...@yahoo.com
This interview is with a UK A.L.F. activist.
How do you go about carrying out actions?
There are a number of aspects that one has to take into
consideration. First and foremost it's important to look round the
region at all the targets, laboratories, and as many of the factory
farms as one can find, hunt kennels, fur shops, abattoirs, etc. If
actions have taken place already in your home area it's a good idea to
go for the most straightforward, squirting paint stripper from a lemon
juice squeeze or a washing up liquid squeeze bottle over the van(s) of
an animal exploiter, gluing up fur shop locks to start with, then
progress to factory farms which generally are not alarmed (there is
the odd one that is particularly those that belong to the large chain
stores). If no actions, or only one or two small actions have taken
place, it may be beneficial to go for a laboratory, the reasoning
being that once things start in your area the labs will start
investing in more security measures. There are still labs with only
minimal security. The animals are not necessarily in the labs at all
times. There is usually an animal house in a separate building where
animals are held until needed, or in some cases are bred there. We can
usually gain access to the grounds, (we're not put off by the usual
security fence with strands of barbed wire, these can be climbed with
practice - we use the concrete posts as a support and wear 2-3 pairs
of gloves when learning. N.B. Razor wire is much more tricky/dangerous
- be careful!) we usually find the buildings with animals have fans
operating, pumping out the stale air and the fresh in. We can smell
which one has them (the animals) within.
With factory farm units we can tell what kind of animals, if any,
are in the units, simply by placing our ears against an air duct on
the side of the unit or at the door, listening and smelling. Or we try
shining a pencil torch, with coloured plastic held over the end by an
elastic band, through any openings. In fact, we double or triple the
layers of plastic so that only the minimum of light gets through, not
only reducing the chance of anyone else seeing, but shine a bright
light onto battery hens and they may well make a lot of noise.
We always try the door handle, etc. and have been pleasantly
surprised a couple of times to find it is unlocked. With experience
one can often tell what animals are held in a particular unit by its
shape, size and building materials used.
When looking at potential targets, we don't take balaclavas, etc.
We also make a point of emptying our pockets of everything including
door keys, discarding matching jewelry etc. before setting out, in
case we drop anything. If we need to cover our faces a scarf is fine
and we wear gloves of course We also carry bird watching books and
binoculars. Usually a lad and a girl will go by public transport or be
dropped off at a pre-arranged time. We avoid parking a car in an area
where a future target is being looked over, unless it's hidden. We try
to limit our visits to any target to one or two and we do not leave
any trace of our visit. We find we can make a totally silent look
round by removing our shoes, though this is usually unnecessary.
During the day we explore the approaches to the target with the help
of an Ordnance Survey (O.S.) map, looking for a suitable dropping off
point/place to stash the vehicle(s), emergency meeting point if
necessary, noting any guard dogs at the target or in the gardens of
homes along the route in. After dark we walk the route to ensure there
are no guard dogs, go in and examine the units, check if there are any
animals in them, can we climb in through an air duct, if not, what
types of locks will we have to deal with. If it's a lab, and not
straightforward, we need to know the times of security patrols, then
we'd do a spot of camping nearby.
In our group there are four people and over a period of time we
have equipped ourselves with ordinary scarves for covering our heads
and faces, gloves, two crowbars (one small roughly a foot long, the
other roughly a yard) a large screwdriver, a well oiled brace and 1"
auger bit (it's a wood boring drill the type used to make the hole in
your door for the Yale lock), two mortar drills (one being extra
long), two sledgehammers (a 14'lb one with a full handle and a 10'lb
one with the handle cut to 20" for working in a confined space), a
pair of boltcutters, two 35mm SLR cameras with flashgun (with diffuser
and tilt - occasionally we can bounce off the ceiling to get natural
shadow). Duracell batteries are used in the flashgun - recharge is
then much quicker.
We use 400 ASA B&W film in one, and 100 ASA colour slides in the
other. When we carried out our first raid there were three people with
scarves, gloves and large screwdriver. We rescued 36 hens. Four sacks
each, one carried on each shoulder by their draw strings and one in
each hand, 3 hens in each sack.
We have since found that cardboard boxes are fine for chicks,
etc., if the `items' involved are rodents we sometimes find the cages
in which they are housed are portable and we place the lot in our
boxes or rucksacks. For hens and rabbits we use fairly large sacks
(approx. 24" wide X 36" long) with rope nylon drawstrings in the
middle. The rope is threaded in and out of the sack at 6" to 8"
intervals and the length, when knotted together is the same as the
circumference of the sack. We seal the double knot of the rope by
using a match and literally lighting the two ends. As the nylon melts
we blow out the flames and the resulting black blobs keep the strands
together.
Another useful item that we make from a sack is a guard sack. Two
brush poles are sprayed a dark colour, then placed inside the sack,
one either side, and stitched securely into place.
Roughly 6 - 8" of the handles protrude. One or two of these act
as good barriers when you have to deal with a guard dog. The
protruding poles are placed under the armpits and are held as high as
possible. If anyone asks what they are they would be told that they
are hides for photographing wildlife.
The actual day chosen for the raid is considered well in advance.
A full moon and no clouds means a well-lit night which is undesirable,
as are hot muggy nights when people find it hard to get to sleep.
Overcast nights are good, and any rain is very welcome.
With a particularly difficult target, everyone is made aware that
we are expecting `bad' weather and to expect very short notice. It is
also important not to work to a pattern (e.g. actions every Friday/
Saturday night). Weekends evenings are good because of the amount of
people travelling to and from pubs/clubs, but for night raids weekdays
are more appropriate because of the amount of early morning traffic.
Saturday nights are the worst possible, the roads early Sunday are
dead. On the day of the raid a planning meeting takes place and a
thorough briefing/discussion takes place. Details dealt with include
the transport of equipment and activists, time of raid and departure,
while studying a plan of the target - who will be responsible for
being a lookout breaking in, taking the animals, holding the sacks/
boxes, where to meet up if things go wrong, who will be acting as back
up by sitting at a phone, ensuring everyone has a few ten pences and
some emergency money - while the raid may go OK, a car could break
down.
Everyone empties their pockets. We do take a container of water
if the raid is likely to take a long time - wearing a mask for lengthy
periods results in dry throat and coughing.
Before the tools are transported everything is wiped first with a
rag soaked in warm soapy water and then again with a dry rag. This
also goes for the cameras (and battery), flashgun (and batteries),
everything, even glasses if worn. A further refinement is to cover our
clothes with something like a boiler suit or old baggy clothes over
our normal clothes and have a spare set of footwear. These items
virtually eliminate the risk of us carrying traces home. These items
can be discarded when we return to the vehicle(s), placed in a black
bin bag it all looks like jumble. Someone has the responsibility of
thoroughly washing the scarves, gloves, boiler suits/old clothes and
shoes immediately upon returning after a raid. This person is not
directly involved in the action and stores the clothes and equipment.
In other words we use a `safe house'. Generally speaking, the
arrangements for events after the action are just as important as the
precautions beforehand.
Before setting off we make sure that everyone has a plausible
reason for travelling in
that direction or homewards, we consult the music press to see if
there are any concerts
applicable. If a male activist is driving, a female member will
sit behind him. The police
have a habit of glancing into cars and mixed company is far less
likely to be stopped.
Choosing the day for the raid can be crucial. If possible we
carry out the raid
mid-evening so that we are home before 10:30-11:30 pm. Once the
pubs close, and
particularly after midnight there is always the chance of a spot
check by the police
looking for burglars. If travelling by car (we avoid hired vans,
hired cars are OK, the
police take less notice of new cars) we try to arrange for the
tools, and hoods if used,
to be well hidden in the target area by mid-evening by just two
people - a girl and a lad
using public transport if possible. We take only the minimum
amount of equipment.
The raid may need to be at night. Battery hens often make quite
a din, though we are not put off by this. Unless we carry out the
action while the house is unoccupied or is some distance away we raid
the unit at 3-4 am while everyone is fast asleep. We never travel
between 12 midnight and 6-7 am there or back. We arrive in the evening
and hide out in a wood (we avoid the local pubs for the obvious
reason) and time the raid so that we arrive back at the transport
after the raid shortly before dawn. Generally speaking, by planning
well ahead we tend to concentrate on late evening raids during the
summer and night-time raids during the long nights of autumn and
winter. The transport will often be minimum of one mile away from the
target and probably two or three miles away hidden in a field or wood
(we carry a good quality compass in case we have to leave in a hurry,
though it's generally not required). Vehicles are never parked in
country lanes as the police will generally treat them as stolen
vehicles that have been dumped, or certainly suspicious. Anyone
sitting in such a vehicle will certainly be questioned. We push the
car(s) down a track into a wood or similar. Pushing does away with
driving with lights on and resultant noise and thus dealing any locals
out walking the dog. We have parked in a nearby housing estate,
leaving the vehicle(s) locked and empty, the drivers returning in
couples to pick up the vehicles, and later the raiders. If the target
is in an awkward area the raider can be picked up by vehicles
returning at a prearranged time or called in by portable C.B.'s (again
Duracell batteries are used).
If there are a number of cars hidden in a field/wood for an
evening raid, depending on circumstances, it may be prudent for
driver(s) to remain hidden nearby and watch that no dog walkers/
courting couples stumble across them. If this were to happen and the
dog walker/couple take a lot of notice, the vehicle(s) are moved to
the emergency meeting place. When the raid is over one person travels
ahead and checks that the transport is o.k.
The first thing we do during an actual raid is for the look
out(s) to get into position. Binoculars are a very useful addition
that can be used at night. They may take a little getting used to,
focusing and time for ones eyes to adjust but it's work worth
persevering. We find the usual, long, thin straps on binoculars are
unsuitable. They not only leave them dangling, and thus banging on
fences being climbed, etc. but they're also uncomfortable to wear
after a time. We substitute wide camera straps, suitably shortened. If
portable C.B.'s are being used they are tested beforehand to make sure
they are in working order and tuned in. Because of the noisy static
when both units are switched on, the raiders will have their C.B.'s
switched on all the time while the look-out(s) will have theirs
switched off. This gives total silence; if the look-out needs to reach
the raiders, a flick of the switch and it's on and ready to use.
However, we do not rely on the C.B.'s alone as sometimes we may be
working in a spot that gives poor reception. The look-outs should be
positioned so that they can also warn the raiders directly and
quickly. Usually bleeps are used rather than voices on the C.B.'s, two
bleeps to keep still and quiet, four for `all clear' and continuous
bleeping if it is time to run for it, though we've not had to use the
last sequence so far.
We have once or twice locked a gate using a plastic covered bike
lock. This method is both quick and silent and ensures security
vehicles cannot pursue us.
Usually we do not cut the telephone wires but occasionally this
is necessary. Either they are cut near the house or office, if this is
not possible, a piece of brick is tied to a nylon rope and is thrown
over the wire between two poles and two people will pull the wire
down. It's usually a struggle and requires two people to use all their
weight to yank it down. Wires are not cut at the big commercial labs
as they are likely to have alarms connected via the phone lines to the
nearest police station. (note: Most business intrusion alarms these
days are wired into the phone line. Cutting the phone lines may trip
either an audible or silent alarm)
When entering the target area we usually have to deal with a
fence of some sort, two people go forward and deal with it. The
ordinary 3 strand barbed wire farm fences have the bottom 2 strands
cut only. The top one prevents cows or horses following us or straying
in the road. On the other hand, anyone pursuing us will be in for a
shock. If it's a chain link fence we cut a strand at the very top,
following that strand down through the others to about thigh height
from the ground and cut it again. Then, holding the strand where it is
cut at the bottom we force it to twist and corkscrew it out. We can
then part the fence and climb through the gap. We leave the bottom
part uncut if there are guard dogs, if disturbed it would be harder
for them to get out after us, particularly if the top half is also
blocked by one of the guard sacks with the poles jammed in the
netting. The same two people then check out the unit and immediate
area.
When actually breaking in to (say) a factory farm unit, usually
all that is required is a large screwdriver and a couple of crowbars
to deal with a Yale lock on the front door (straightforward) or to
deal with the inside bolt(s) on the back door. In the case of the back
door, if it's a tight fitting one we first pull it from the bottom, we
can then judge where the inside bolt or first bolt is. We force the
first screwdriver roughly 12" from the bolt and force the opening
until the small crowbar can be inserted. Further force is exerted
until the large crowbar can be put in by a second person, who puts
their full weight behind it and rocks it to and fro, forcefully yet
gently. The idea is to make the screws which hold the lock/bolt
eventually pop out, not to take the door off its hinges.
For padlocks, we may need to use boltcutters, we ignore the lock
and go for the hasp which is often mild steel. With the cutters in
place, a wet towel is wrapped round the cutter and hasp. This helps to
deaden the sharp crack noise. If we are unsure about a door being
alarmed, the two people who dealt with the fence will also break in
and then rejoin the rest of the group for 30-40 minutes to watch for
any reaction, from a couple of fields away.
If the animals being liberated are battery hens, all the group
enters very quietly, then closes the door. A torch covered with
coloured plastic is switched on. The cages are opened. A variety of
different types of cages are used, common sense tells us if they
unclip, slide up or across. A last resort is simply to tear them apart
with our hands. We are not put off by the noise the hens will be
making by now. Due to the barbaric conditions it's not unusual for
fighting to break out, so factory farmers are used to outbreaks of
noise. Having closed the door most of the noise is absorbed by the
usual wooden building.
Working in twos, one person clasps a hen (remembering their wings
are quite strong) so that the head is facing away from us, while the
other holds the sack which is rolled down to the drawstring beforehand
which helps to keep the neck open. The hen goes in head first, we
don't let go until the bird is sitting comfortably at the bottom of
the sack - two more follow. To try and simply drop them into the sack
just does not work, they will get their feet caught up in the sacking
and nap their wings about. If this happens, it's taken out and the
procedure repeated properly. We are very careful not to injure the
hen. The three hens safely in, the drawstring in the middle of the
sack is drawn closed and the resulting loop goes over the shoulder. We
take as many hens etc. as we have go od homes for.
With experience it's possible to work in total darkness which
usually reduces the amount of noise the hens make. When working in a
broiler unit with full grown birds we move more slowly, otherwise
10-15,000 hens may start off. We don't panic if they do though, it may
sound loud in the unit but outside it's surprising how much the wooden
units deaden the noise.
With rabbits we select single mothers with well-developed young.
Large rabbits on their own often indicates a pregnant female, and for
obvious reasons rabbits with small young are not disturbed. Rabbits go
into the sack back end first because of their large rear feet. Sacks
are ideal carriers because the material is comfortable and keeps the
animals warm, and with plenty of fresh air. Following the raid we
ensure the door is closed so that the cold night air doesn't result in
a sharp drop in temperature and discomfort for the animals left
behind.
For buildings that are alarmed we try to gain direct access into
the room holding the animals by going through a wall. Using a well
oiled brace and mortar drill long enough to drill out the mortar from
around one or two bricks, we then lever them out with a large
screwdriver or small crowbar. We then simply cut bricks along the
mortar with a padsaw (keyhole saw) and literally cut bricks out.
Squirting water from a squeeze bottle onto the padsaw reduces the
noise of cutting the mortar (3-4 squeeze bottles are usually
required).
To go through a door that may be alarmed we use our brace to
drill a series of overlapping holes using a 1" auger bit until a
square can be removed big enough for us to get in and out of with our
boxes etc. We have also been able to remove a window from an animal
house by taking out the putty using one of those screwdriver sets that
has a pointed implement. On another occasion we gained access to an
animal house during the day when the alarms were switched off. During
the lunch break we gained access using a skeleton key. We had already
established on a previous visit at night that it worked, by unlocking
the door, but not opening it, then relocking it.
Old type alarms can be dealt with by removing the bell with a
screwdriver or forcing it to one side with a crowbar so that the
hammer can be cut off or bent so that it cannot possibly strike the
bell. Another method with the klaxan-horn type is to spray cavity wall
insulation fluid (the type that sets in 15 minutes) into the horn and
through the vents into the alarm box.
Once enough time has elapsed for the animals to be got away it's
time to deal with the labs and offices. As these premises may also
have alarms we crawl along the floor. The aim is to quickly smash up
enough equipment to put it out of action or plant incendiary materials
to burn it down once satisfied there are no people or animals in there
and, if possible, to obtain any documents relating to the experiments,
who supplied the animals, names and home addresses of the vivisectors/
animal technicians etc.
With the big commercial labs, there is always the chance of a
silent alarm connected to the local police station. By going through a
wall into a room with animals we usually find this is no problem, but
later when entering the actual labs, to destroy it or rescue animals
undergoing experiments we prefer to go for a smash and grab effort.
Sledgehammers then come into their own. A 14'lb hammer is aimed at the
mortise lock repeatedly. We save vital time by going through the
outside wall first or smashing in through a window and then dealing
with the internal doors with the sledgehammer. In a confined space a
10'lb hammer with the handle cut down to about 20" is the answer.
Crowbars are also of use.
In planning this type of action we have to be totally practical.
Those fit enough to run some distance after the raid carrying dogs,
etc. and rucksacks full of documents will be responsible for taking
the animals, papers, for destroying equipment and if possible, the lab
itself. For the most part, raiding labs is straightforward, only a
handful of the very big labs have more elaborate security equipment.
(note: unfortunately all University labs these days have security
systems, look around and with a little luck and lots of hard work you
will find one that can be done.)
We never paint the letters A.L.F. on a unit or lab, at most we
will spray `Animal Liberation' or `Animal Belsen'. We paint slogans in
dark colours and where they are visible to any reporters following up
the story - this helps confirm the action has taken place when the
owner or manager denies it (note: things have been very different over
here in North America). Where the noise of a spray can may alert a
guard dog a large felt tip pen is sufficient.
If everything goes well, we do, of course, mention it was an
A.L.F. group to the media so that everyone concerned is aware who was
responsible.
If we have to carry potentially noisy animals, e.g. dogs, a long
distance over fields, etc. particularly after a smash and grab, we
carry some anti-mate (as used by hunt sabs to put hounds off the scent
of foxes). We give a good squirt after crossing a stream, road, etc.
for obvious reasons.
When returning to the vehicles on no account do we walk along
roads at night. If something went wrong we would, at most, walk in the
fields parallel with roads to help direct us to the meeting up place.
Much of what I've said may appear to be processes that would take
some getting used to but we found after a while that they became
second nature. We've never been discovered carrying out a raid and the
four of us had no previous experience. It is simply down to common
sense.
Further reading; An Animal Liberation Primer, Interviews With
California
A.L.F. Activists, Into the 1990's with the A.L.F., Without A
Trace, Interviews
with A.L.F. Activists.