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July 24, 2007
Americans for Medical Progress reports on the National Animal Rights
Convention 2007 from their perspective but it behooves all animal owners to
learn more about this radical movement and their goals. Whether it is by
"direct action" or regulations, legislation and court decisions, this
radical movement works 24/7 to end all use of animals, including pet
ownership.
_________________________________________

AMP NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
Los Angeles, Sunday 22 July 2007
www.amprogress.org

AR 2007 - Direct Action or Hearts and Minds?
Navigating the Chasm in the AR Movement

"For the past five years our movement has become progressively more
fractured over the issues of 'violence' and 'welfare vs. abolition'.
Intellectual
discourse has given way to breakdowns in communications, public
denunciations and the boycotting of this conference by several mainstream
groups."
- Alex Hershaft, founder, National Animal Rights Convention
AR2007 Plenary Session Friday, 20 July 2007

This year's National Animal Rights Convention - AR2007 - offered a clear
but brief glimpse of a chasm in the movement. There's the militant faction
of the animal rights movement: a small number of direct action advocates
who have recently taken several body blows for their tactics and now appear
to be
struggling to regain their footing both internally and within the animal
rights movement in general. Other activists are just as determined the
priorities
should rest on enhancing the movement's public image and educational
outreach.

To be sure, most of the attendees of AR2007, held this year in Los Angeles,
had little interest in the meeting's undercurrent of angst about tactics
and priorities. Many were newcomers to the animal rights movement. Others
were there to compare notes on vegan lifestyles, gain peer encouragement
for
their local campaigns from spay-neuter programs to getting veggie-dogs to
be sold at ballparks, for their once-a-year update on the status of
national
campaigns, or to sell/buy specially-targeted products ranging from books on
the benefits of a raw food diet to pleather stilettos.

And it is unlikely that the militant factions will have much presence at
the Taking Action for Animals Conference in Washington, D.C. at the end of
the
month. The chief sponsor of that meeting, the Humane Society of the
United States, while sharing with militants the extreme goals of the
movement, is
intent on showing a moderate face to the public, the main source of HSUS
funding. Look for a well-packaged and managed series of "animal
protection" discussions there, and emphasis on strategies for winning
hearts and minds.

Given our limited resources, and in order to provide AMP News Service
readers with a timely report on the flavor of the meeting and current
trends in the
activists' opposition to animal-based research, AMP attended only the
AR2007 sessions focused on that topic, and the plenary sessions which
featured
some (but by no means all) of the movement's thought leaders. We also
talked one-on-one with some of the key proponents of militant action.

We do not intend this to be a report on the full range of activities of the
conference, but on how animal research was discussed by AR2007
participants,
and to seek to learn from an unusual public display of the dynamics of the
militant faction that encourages direct action and, for some, violence, as
a
legitimate tactic in its attempt to stop medical progress.

NEW MEETS OLD AT AR2007

Those of us who have attended the National Animal Rights Convention for
years found a familiar four-day format, including multiple tracks of
workshops to
draw new activists further into the movement and to provide support and
encouragement to veteran activists.

Added to the program this year, however, were workshops and a plenary
session focused on the new Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and what the
Equal Justice Alliance and other activist groups claim to be "government
repression of activism." A case study of the successful prosecution and
conviction of
six SHAC leaders was also presented by activist and self-proclaimed
'independent journalist' Will Potter and Audra Lindsey, a longtime SHAC
spokesperson.

Familiar names are on the list of those who presented a case against the
use of animals in research: Michael Budkie, Camille Hankins, Matt Rosell,
Andrew Knight and even Alex Pacheco, reflecting on the Silver Spring
Monkeys case that launched PETA to prominence in the early 1980s. It may
be more
significant to note those not on the speaker's roster. Among the
absentees:

Former SHAC president Kevin Jonas, a strong presence at previous meetings,
now serving his prison term along with five other SHAC members. Rodney
Coronado, recently released from prison and facing more legal action. He
has - yet again - renounced the use of direct action for the animals and
environment. Leaders from HSUS and PETA who, as Hershaft noted, are
boycotting AR2007
and will join with other groups in Washington in late July. Wayne Pacelle,
JP Goodwin, Ingrid Newkirk, Bruce Friedrich, Michael Markarian and Paul
Shapiro are all previous headliners. Neal Barnard and others from PCRM.
Ray Greek, a doctor who has written several books that attempt a
'scientific' argument against animal research. Jerry Vlasak, Animal
Liberation Press Officer, who staffed the ALPO booth in the exhibit hall,
but did not address any session. AMP spoke with Vlasak, who had gained
more notoriety last week when he told a reporter that activists had "no
choice" but to resort to violence. Vlasak's wife and fellow militant
Pamelyn Ferdin also remained voiceless at AR2007. The workshops that
focused on campaigns against animal research relied on the old chestnuts of
misrepresentations and rhetoric against research and
little in the way of new content, despite the efforts of Australian Andrew
Knight of Animal Consultants International to present and explain recent
articles
from peer-reviewed journals that he (falsely) claimed demonstrated that
animal models produce invalid results. He urged activists to "maximize the
impact
of this new evidence" by using the articles in their media work, at
conferences, with legislators, ethics committees and other audiences. "I
don't think
that grassroots activism, unfortunately, the way we have seen it, in a
militant way, is actually going to succeed, unfortunately. I wish that it
would,
but I don't think it will," he said.

Knight also joined with SAEN's Michael Budkie in a video showcase entitled
"Abuse of Animals for Science" that ran decades-old film distributed by
PETA and other activists. One member of the audience questioned the age of
the film, given dated clothing styles and that some film was shot in black
and white. Budkie conceded the video dated from the 1980s and even
earlier. but asserted that similar research continues today. He did have
one new piece of video he said he had just obtained through a FOIA filing
that showed clean and new primate social housing and enrichment - which
seems to be in contradiction to Budkie's charges that primates are left to
languish in solitary cages and to lose their minds from boredom. Budkie
chose to fast-forward that video to make time for PETA's video on high
school dissection, appropriately narrated
by Alicia Silverstone, best known for her role in "Clueless."

Budkie gave basic chalk talks on how to investigate research through
on-line NIH, USDA and Department of Defense databases and FOIA filings. He
repeatedly stressed that every activist in the room could and should be
doing such investigations of their local research institutions, and then
work with
SAEN to attract media coverage. "The fact that animal rights activists
don't like animal research is not exactly news any more," he cautioned his
listeners.
He suggested that instead of focusing on protests and other stunts, media
coverage is of better quality when generated through news conferences by
activists
with 'something significant' to report from the investigations they have
conducted of grants, research protocols and other materials. "The public
is
concerned about the waste of tax dollars," Budkie noted. "When you add up
the dollar signs, people start to listen."

At the SAEN booth in the exhibit hall, Budkie was relentless in his
networking.finding out where people were from and saying, "We should talk."
He told
a plenary session that one of the reasons he attends the AR conventions is
to find "the one activist' in a position to research a facility. He even
tried
to recruit this AMP correspondent, not at the time realizing the
affiliation.

Like Budkie, Camille Hankins of Win Animal Rights (WAR), spoke at several
workshops, focusing on the SHAC campaign and direct action, to the point of
repeating several stories. She seemed to enjoy the celebrity acclaim she
received from direct action supporters and revel in defiance:

"I am proud of the fact that the government is after me. I am proud that I
have a FBI file and that they want to monitor everything I say and that the
AMP - Americans for Medical Progress - reports everything I say and do in
their newsletters." (AMP Editor's note: As regular readers know, Ms.
Hankins' comment on the extent of her AMP coverage is quite overstated: we
listen to
her so you don't have to.)

Nevertheless, Hankins feels the breath of the law on her neck, and
anticipates she will follow the example of her SHAC "friend and associate"
Kevin
Jonas. "I'm not afraid. I'm going to prison. I don't care when I go.
I'll know I did it for the animals and it was worth it."

On Saturday evening, Hankins led activists to four locations in LA for
protests. A fifth venue was scrubbed because of the potential for
confrontation
with police, she said.

STUMBLES ON THE PATHS TO ANIMAL LIBERATION

National AR Convention founder Alex Hershaft made the stark and candid
comment that begins this year's report in an extraordinary panel session
during Friday evening's plenary meeting attended by some 300 registrants.
The session, "Paths to Animal Liberation" dramatically showed the
controversy
within the movement over direct action tactics.

First up was Armaiti May, a recent graduate of the UC Davis Veterinary
School who wants to open her own "vegan veterinary practice." Throughout
vet school, she said, some of her classmates often treated her like an
outcast because of her animal rights perspective. She said the experience
helped
her realize that "the unfavorable image of animal activists as a whole and
the actions of a few activists in particular, was making my work as an
activist much more difficult than it needed to be." May took a passionate
and critical look at the impact of some tactics on the public image of
animal rights activists:

"Threatening children of executives working for companies engaged in
vivisection, sending these people pornographic magazines, shouting menacing
slogans outside their homes and vandalizing their personal property do not
reflect the positive image of animal rights activists. They play right in
to the
hands of our opposition by chipping away at our moral high ground, allowing
animal abusers to unfairly paint us as terrorists."

May called for constructive, educational outreach that focuses on long-term
objectives:

"When considering the merits of an action it is important to consider not
only whether the action is morally justifiable but whether it is
strategically
effective. The animals need us to be likable and respectable in the eyes of
the masses in order to win over the public whose support and participation
in the struggle for animal liberation is vital for our success. [.]
Nonviolence and integrity must guide our actions, and also our thoughts and
words."

Although her call for a 'perfect vegan world' that included educational
outreach and nonviolent activism received applause from portions of the
room, she
was slapped down by subsequent speakers who received far greater audience
approval. Camille Hankins of the militant Win Animal Rights group and the
North American Animal Liberation Press Office (ALPO), said that her vision
of a 'perfect vegan world' was "when you stand between the animals and
those who would kill exploit and abuse them and you stop that killing and
that
exploitation and that abuse." She continued:
"I would never deny the fact that education is a good thing, outreach is a
good thing - we need all these tools. This is about using all the tools in
the tool chest. We have such a massive responsibility and a massive job
and to do that we need everything we have, to use everything that we have,
everything in the tool chest I do believe we need education; I do believe
we need open rescue; I do believe that we need good media; I do believe
that we need
to have our activists respected. But at the same time I really think
(animals) need to be freed and I really believe that those mink need to be
out of those cages. [.]Words mean nothing. Action is everything. Animal
liberation or else!"

Alex Hershaft, the AR2007 organizer, called the differences "a chasm" in
the movement, but nevertheless sought to find common ground:
"Even as conservative an organization as the HSUS has condoned civil
disobedience and open rescues in the past, both illegal and both involving
some
small element of violence. On the other hand of the spectrum, nearly
everyone in the movement including ALF condemns acts designed to injure any
living
being. Thus, the only tactics that really are in dispute are massive
property destruction and intimidation such as home visits. That's about
it."

Hardly. With his next breath, Hershaft raised the conflict between
abolitionists and welfarists, coming down on the side of abolitionists,
noting that
while no reputable abolitionist leader would oppose welfare reforms, "what
we do oppose are animal rights activists who advocate welfare reforms. It
wastes animal resources and legitimizes animal exploitation."

Lest there be any confusion where Hershaft comes down on militant tactics,
he answered that firmly:
"Who needs the militants anyway? We all do, especially the animals.
Granted that some individuals may have used animal rights as a cover-up for
anti-social behavior and have given us a bad name. But the responsible
militants among us play a key role as the conscience of this movement. [.]
What has
kept me going .is the inspiration and dedication of our more militant
brothers and sisters who are willing to lay down their careers and their
freedoms for
the animals. We all have different paths to animal liberation, but we all
need the militants - especially the animals."

On Monday, following a morning of lessons in lobbying, California activists
will go to the local offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein and several area
Representatives to push for the repeal of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism
Act. SAEN's Michael Budkie will lead others on a protest against research
at
UCLA.

Obviously, much more information and insight was revealed at the AR2007
conference. Additional material will appear in AMP's subsequent reports,
including the AMP News Service Digest and our coverage of the Taking Action
for Animals meeting in Washington later this month.

Please feel free to distribute this report, keeping our contact information
intact. As always, AMP's key contacts are welcome to be in touch for
additional details.

Americans for Medical Progress
908 King Street Suite 301
Alexandria VA 22314
703 836 9595 amp@amprogress.org