The Earth Liberation Front as a Serious Terrorist Threat - Research Paper Example

? The Earth Liberation Front (ELA) Is a Serious Terrorist Threat and Should Be Taken as such Introduction The Earth LiberationFront (ELF) is also known as “The Elves”. This name is given to those individuals who, according to their beliefs, use acts in which they damage or destruct the equipments to fight with the exploitation and the destruction that is being caused to the environment. Despite struggling for the ideas which do not sound wrong, the Elves are threatening people who provide welfare to animals and the environment by causing unfairness to the other people around. In 1992, the ELF was founded in the United Kingdom, and it successfully spread throughout the Europe by 1994. Eventually, ELF was spread in 17 countries as their actions were reported and recorded. It is now known as an international movement that carries out its actions in many of the major European countries1. The ELF movement can be greatly related to the Animal Liberation Front as both of these organizations operate in the same context. ELF is known to be the descending of the Animal Liberation Front as both of these movements operate is in very good terms, relations and cooperation. Both of these movements also use the similar guidelines under which they operate and they tend to have the same leaderless resistance. They gain sympathy at the hands of the people and call themselves an eco-defense dedicated group. Sympathizers also say that this group is dedicated to work without the profit motive on environmental destruction. They cause economical destruction to businesses in order to save the environment by damaging businesses’ property2. With such policies and activities, the ELF movement was known to be the top ‘domestic terror’ threat in 2001 according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in United States. The term which is still used for the members of the ELF is ‘eco-terrorists’. But according to the reports and the number of damages made by the ELF, it has been assessed that there is a lack of deaths caused due to these activities. Many of the leaders suggest that this is a positive factor because once such type of a thing initiates, it gets difficult to control it from spreading and getting worst. And ELF has merely carried out activities that have damaged property and caused destruction to equipment, but hasn’t taken away human lives. ?ELA – A Serious Terrorist Threat ? The Earth Liberation Front operates in a different way than other welfare organizations and other terrorist organizations. Their system of management has no leadership, hierarchy or any official representative or spokesperson. It is a decentralized organization rather than choosing individuals to use the terms as banners. The members if this cooperation who are the individuals on their own are known to work together in different cells which are bounded groups and these individuals are usually self-funded hence creating no space for leadership or membership which is centralized. These individuals are said to be the eco-terrorists as they work with each other to prepare and plan techniques of reducing exploitation of the natural environment3. The technique which is most commonly recorded to be carried out the most by these individuals is destruction to property. Different tools are being used by them to carry out such activities and one of them is arson in which they burn the property. Many of the activists today believe that arson is used to injure animals, people and the environment. The eco-terrorists use such techniques to handle the property which they believe is destroying the natural environment despite the people or animals being harmed in the process. These techniques are operated differently in the United States and in the UK. However, they are also sometimes called ecotage. The reasons why the ELF carries out such terrifying methods of saving the environment or use terrifying techniques such as arson are many. Researchers have found many reasons that mark the activities of the eco-terrorists and the economic sabotage that takes place, some of these relate to their beliefs and some to their rules. A report which was sent and released by the press in 2000 showed that the Elves had claimed responsibility for an arson describing that they had taken action and as per their usual statements, they claimed that the burning down of the property is non-violent and it was an issue which is debatable within the environmental movement. The members of the ELF have been long called the eco-terrorists. Ever since the ELF was formed and expanded, the members have destroyed homes, equipment and several properties of individuals which have caused damages worth millions of dollars to the Americans. They have formed their own strategies that allow them to protect the environment through the destruction of property. Thus, their activities are similar to those of other terrorists who operate in individual cells as a loose network. This is why they are compared to the terrorists and the Elves are known as the domestic terrorists4. There are many valid reasons because of which the researchers are able to say that these individuals are eco-terrorists. This is a justified term which has been long used observing the type of activities that have been carried out by these individuals. The justification to this is strongly based on the actions and the statements made by these activists and the pride they take on themselves being the part f such activities. These cells are proud that they are the members of the Earth Liberation Front and how they hold the positions of saving the environment. Not only have their beliefs but their pride also lies in the economic sabotage. Their beliefs are based upon the Anarchist belief system and they hold a Marxist based on it. This system does not accept the property ownership right of the individuals and based on this system, the Elves carry out their activities. Moreover, all their actions are illegal and it can be seen by their reaction towards the system that they have very little respect for the laws and eventually do not believe in any law regarding the private property ownership or possession that the people are allowed to have under law. They do not consider any such laws and have no impact of the property holders’ interests that they have to protect as humans. The laws related to the private property laws are implemented in the American society which is laid on the foundation of the Capitalist society. This idea of capitalism which is imposed by laws in America stands firmly against the views of Marxist and that strictly envy the Anarchist doctrine. These views form a doctrine and they do not feel the need to acknowledge the rights given to the individuals for property ownership. No matter what the laws are and how important they may mean to the society and the system, for the Elves these laws have no impact and they are not considered as important or influential to their work5. With the passage of time and development that took place in the ELF, they became a stronger group and as a group altogether they started becoming less satisfied with the laws that prevented the removal of a tree, the building of a fence or a house or dumping trash without permission. They were not satisfied with these laws and believed that they were exploiting the natural environment. About the Property Rights that were imposed by the state and the private ownership policies, they wished to abolish these concepts forever. This came from the Marxist doctrine which was the nucleus of their core beliefs. All these beliefs have become terrifying and thus known to spread domestic terror throughout. ‘Holy Grail’ is the newly designed to create large expansions to the wilderness zones which would regulate the human usage. Furthermore, not only will it regulate the human usage, but it will also be completely off limits to everyone who is venturing into these areas even just to enjoy the natural beauty and the natural surroundings. This has been recorded as the ultimate goal of the Elves and the ultimate conclusion of this movement is to eliminate all the human beings. This proves the reason why they are called eco-terrorists6. It is sad to know that there was a time when an individual could pay for land and own it. It was theirs alone and they could do whatever they wanted to on it whether it was building of a cabin or fill a hole in the ground. But after the existence of the Earth Liberation Front, a group of people were formed who could, without a legal claim on the land, dictate anything a landowner could do or not do to their own land. At some places, these actions are considered to be unlawful and fines are imposed in question. Through their websites and through many mediums the Elves have tried to justify their image as eco-terrorists and claimed to have been working for the betterment and to preserve the natural environment. They say that they have formed their website to be able to solve the issues related to the ELF activities. They say that the ELF is an international underground organization that is allowed to use direct action on the property through sabotaging corporations and government agencies that usually make profits from the destruction of the natural environment. Having caused a damage of $45 million in the US ever since they first appeared, they have become the number one domestic threat to the citizens and to the laws. They have conducted over dozens of serious actions. The ELF claimed responsibility for an arson attack which caused a damage of more than $700,000 in 2002. After this, the report they issued to show their willingness to take the action stated: “While innocent life will never be harmed in any action we undertake, where it is necessary, we will no longer hesitate to pick up the gun to implement justice, and provide the needed protection for our planet that decades of legal battles, pleading, protest and economic sabotage have failed so drastically to achieve”. This statement had proved how the ELF is a confirmed domestic threat for all Americans and poses considerable danger to all citizens. Thus, above all the sources of terrorism known to the public, the FBI has placed the Earth Liberation Front at the top of the list of domestic terrorism threats. The FBI has also further announced that the claimed responsibility of the $40 million damage caused to America had not simply been erased or overpowered that environmental terrorists have with the mainstream media. But as the awareness is spread across the globe, the media is preparing to move the news coverage of eco-terrorism to a level of national concern. The issue arises at the question whether the public will understand these groups as merely misguided idealists7. The worrying part is the way these groups are proud of their terrorist activities and how they simply have no respect for any one’s property ownership. They merely carry out their own practises which makes them the eco-terrorists. They are not afraid to claim the responsibility of any type of damage done in public. In fact, it was held that these groups carry out activities without the recommendations of any party or any person, and on the basis of that they perform the activities, no matter how harsh they are. Later, these groups fail to approve how wrong they are and no one can raise a finger at them. They also termed themselves as non-violent which feared the activists. At a certain point, the media and the activists were starting to understand that these activities are growing and growing without getting any hopeful to get better or to stop. Many names were given to this organization as the New York Post called them the new and nasty face of environmentalism. After they had caused the $40,000 damage, they posted on their website, “This year, 2001, we hope to see an escalation in tactics against capitalism and industry”. They had also made several pronouncements of agendas combining the anti-capitalism and environmental extremism is nothing new when the socialist face of environmentalism is considered8. Another set of events that took place and because of which the Elves were known to be the top most domestic terrorism threats in present were the violence of the burnt ski resort which was under construction in Colorado in 1998 causing a damage of $12 million. Then in the same year, they claimed the responsibility of burning down four new luxury homes. Ten days earlier, they had boasted that by burning the house in Long Island, they had accomplished their ninth major strike on Long Island in recent months. They have bragged much about the terrorism that it has created on their website and they continuously work with the radical Animal Liberation Front. This sharpens the level of criminality held by the ELF terrorists. It is amazing how a terrorist group has been able to form its roots so strongly internationally. The media talks about their activities and unfolds the stories behind these activities, and yet they are unable to control it. The individuals are sound and they work much more influentially than any other organization. They have become a little too successful with their agendas and their policies. They also give anonymous ads in the newspapers and have been existent in every shadow9. The government and the corporations have entrusted the fact that these eco-terrorist activities can protect their corporate profits. It has also been assessed that within a considerable span of time, such eco-terrorist activities can build confidence in the economy. Although the incidents that take place within the context of eco-terrorism are likely to harm lives and properties; it may soon become a feature of an individual’s day-to-day business operations. The Elves directly threaten the corporate profits to be able to carry out their activities. In fact, the entire animal rights and the environmental movements are directly threatening to the corporate profits. These underground organizations know what they are doing is illegal, but the system has no power to stop them10. The Earth Liberation Front is a serious terrorist threat and thus it should be treated as soon as possible. It has been assessed that till the Elves are threatening the corporate profits, there is no action that the government may be able to take against them. It’s all about fear. The concept is to give so much fear to the corporations that they are threatened enough to protect the corporate profits. However, we have to stop the cycle of history repeating itself as soon as possible. There has to be something done by the laws and the government because the aim of the eco-terrorists is to eliminate all the human beings which means that they are a serious threat not only to the profits and the business operations, but also to the human lives. Any sort of terrorism is used to put fear into the people and to take advantage from it. It is important to know that these groups may not be able to carry out these activities under proper law systems, but until they are tied up, eco-terrorist activities will keep taking place. References Ackerman, Gary. Beyond arson? A threat assessment of the Earth Liberation Front. (NY: Taylor & Francis, 2003), p32. Alpas, Hami, Berkowicz, Simon and Ermakova, Irana. Environmental Security and Ecoterrorism. (London: Springer, 2011), p123. Combs, Cindy, and Martin, Slann. Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Revised Edition. (NY: Infobase Publishing, 2009), p95. Law, Randall . Terrorism: A History (Themes in History). (US: Polity, 2009), p64. Liddick, Donald. Eco-Terrorism: Radical Environmental and Animal Liberation Movements. (London: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006), p32. Long, Douglas. Ecoterrorism. (NJ: Infobase Publishing, 2007), p11. Pickering, Laslie James. The Earth Liberation Front 1997-2002. (Texas: PM Press, 2007), p43. Schmid, Alex. The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research. (NY: Taylor & Francis, 2011), p56. Leader, Stefan and Peter, Probst. The Earth Liberation Front and Environmental Terrorism. (NY: Taylor & Francis, 2003), p16. Vanderheiden, Steve. “Eco-terrorism or justified resistance? Radical environmentalism and the War on Terror”. Politics & society, 33.3 (2005), pp425–447. Read More