Eco Terrorism in the UK
Although there are some who disagree with the use of the term “eco terrorism” to describe their actions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation defines eco terrorism as the use or threatened use, of violence against individuals or properties by a group or groups of individuals of an environmental-orientation, for environmental and/or political reasons, that is usually symbolic in nature.
Eco terrorism is generally conducted in benefit or in the name of ecological, environmental, or animal rights causes. Incidents of eco terrorism usually center on issues related to animal rights, protection of resources, or disruption of specific services, and while most incidents take place within the border of the United States, eco terrorism in the UK and other countries is becoming more and more prevalent. The growth of eco terrorism in Europe is illustrated by the fact that 110 official acts eco terrorism were reported in 2002, in comparison to only 39 in 1999 (Levin).
History of Eco Terrorism
Although groups and organizations designed to defend and protect the environment have been around since the late 19th century, the concept of eco terrorism was born sometime in the 1970′s, when a few members of the organization known as Greenpeace decided to attack a series of fishing vessels. According to most environmental historians, the actions of the individuals who later became known as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are what changed the environmental defense movement forever (Liddick).
From the actions of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, several other eco terrorist organizations were born, including Earth First!, the Earth Liberation Front, the Animal Liberation Front, and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, all of which are active today. Many of the previously mentioned organizations, including the ELF, the ALF, and SHAC all originated in England.
Eco Terrorism in the UK
Although eco terrorism in the UK generally focuses on the same targets and the same causes as eco terrorism in the U.S. and the rest of the world does, there is a difference in the amount of violence that European eco terrorists will condone and conduct in order to make a statement. Generally speaking, European eco terrorists do not shy away from any amount of physical violence.
Eco terrorism in the UK still targets logging companies, laboratories that experiment of animals, slaughterhouses, oil rigs, construction companies, meat packing plants, and stores that sell products made from certain animals, but they do so in a more extreme and physically violent manner. While eco terrorists in the United States and across the world tend to focus on the destruction of property and facilities through arson, European eco terrorists seem to have a greater tendency toward violence. In the past, members of the SHAC have taken to firebombing cars, mailing out letter bombs, and physically beating people with clubs (Liddick).
Future of Eco Terrorism in the UK
Although extreme environmental organizations continue to protect and defend the planet from “traditional” forms of environmental abuse, as the abuse evolves, so do the acts of eco terrorism. The majority of the acts of terrorism in the UK in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s were committed in the defense of animal rights, specifically targeting laboratories and factories.
Today, most of the acts of eco terrorism in the UK have taken place in the agricultural arena. From attacking farms and farming equipment on sites that grow genetically modified crops, to targeting stores that carry and sell genetically modified and enhanced products, and laboratories that conduct genetic research (Nuttall), it does indeed appear that eco terrorism in the UK is changing with the times.
Written by Martin Jauregui
References
“Eco Terrorism” Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2008.
Foreman, D. Confessions of an Eco-Warrior. New York: Crown Publishers, 1991.
Levin, M. “Flushing Out Eco-Terrorism” The American Enterprise. 30 October 2003.
Liddick, D. Eco-Terrorism: Radical Environmental and Animal Liberation Movements. Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2006.
Nutall, N. “Attacks on GM Crops Spread to U.S. and France.” The London Times 02 August 1999.
