North American Animal Liberation Front Press Office ALF Spokesperson Steps
Down, Encourages Others To Step Forward
The following is the final communication from (former) ALF spokesperson
David Barbarash:
Effective immediately, I am resigning my position as North American
spokesperson for the Animal Liberation Front and ending my tenure with the
ALF Press Office.
I have held this voluntary position since the summer of 1999, and after
three and a half years I've come to some conclusions and perspective about
the work and role of a public spokesperson.
I have enjoyed the work immensely, and it has been very rewarding to me
personally, but I do believe that, overall, my position is not necessary
for the furtherance of animal liberation. In fact, in some cases, I believe
that it is detrimental to the overall movement forward.
Too many times I have not been able to convey the message that needs to be
heard - the suffering of animals, our collective responsibility to end this
suffering and the animal carnage which continues seemingly unabated. Too
often I have not been given the space in the media to explain why it is
that the ALF take the action that it does, and the underlying reasons why
people would want to risk their freedom to save animal lives. Too often the
story has been about me, about the "person behind the Press Office," the
only public face of the underground movement.
Granted, I can understand the interest in such a story, but this is not
what the Press Office or my role was established for.
I now believe that there is no real need for an "official" public face to
represent the Animal Liberation Front. The ALF will continue to take direct
action long as long as there remains animal suffering, torture, and murder,
regardless if a public spokesperson exists. A public spokesperson does not
encourage more ALF action; continued animal abuse is the driving motivation.
I also believe that the existance of an ALF Press Office and a media
spokesperson give reason for other groups and individuals to NOT speak up
in support of the underground movement. My role has allowed others to step
aside and not take a positive public stand on illegal non-violent direct
action.
To those in the animal rights/liberation movement who are surprised by my
resignation or upset about the lack of a public voice for the ALF, I say
this: Now is your opportunity to step forward! Now is the time for your
local animal rights group to put out a press release in support of the ALF
when they next strike in your area. Now is the time for you and your
friends to organize and garner public support for the ALF when next they
raid that fur farm in your town or state, or destroy those meat trucks at
the local slaughterhouse, or paint slogans on the neighbourhood fast food
outlet.
Now is *your* time, Animal Rights Person/Animal Rights Group! Let's face
it: A few dozen public spokespeople across the continent, all speaking up
in support of the ALF is a much better situation than that one public face
you see and hear about all the time. The story isn't about me, it's about
the animals, and the brave people who risk everything to save them. My
resignation is a step toward re-focussing the media away from a persona,
and toward the real issues of animal exploitation, by removing the one
story they love to persue: the media guy.
And it is an opportunity for the animal rights movement to step up the
fight and play a more critical role in this struggle.
Although I am resigning my position as public spokesperson, the ALF Press
Office will still exist and will be run by several anonymous people. The
Press Office will still be a recipient of anonymous communiques from the
ALF underground, and the Press Office volunteers will continue to send out
those communications to the media.
The primary delivery service that the ALF Press Office will now be
utiliziing is the Animal Liberation Frontline Information Service email
list. I strongly encourage reporters, editors, and all media to subscribe
to this service, which is also the primary method of press release delivery
by the Earth Liberation Front Press Office.
To subscribe simply go to http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=frontline-news
and subscribe your email address.
Effective immediately, the ALF Press Office can now be contacted at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Emails sent to our old address will be forwarded on for
a short time until the account is permanently closed. There is now no
telephone contact for the ALF Press Office. All phone lines have been
disconnected. The mailing address post office box will remain open for now,
until other arrangements are made.
On a final note, donations to the ALF Press Office are still gratefully
accepted by the people who will now take on the responsibility. As well,
donations to help cover the cost of legal expenses incurred in my fight to
retrieve the property seized by the recently-determined illegal RCMP search
this past summer on my home and office are also gratefully appreciated.
All donations and communications can be mailed to: ALF Press Office P.O.
Box 3673 Courtenay, BC V9N 7P1 Canada
Freedom and Liberation, David Barbarash
Link: http://www.directaction.info
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=03/01/06/6769586
