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INFORMATIOI. =OUNCIL
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October, 1988

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Dear Chief:
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elson

_;;~~~c~aelson Associates
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...,.,.Working closely with the u.s. Department of Justice, the
Fur Retailers Information Council has developed a directory
of some 200 animal rights ~nd animal welfare organizations
operatin~ in ~orth ~~ric~ which provides office addresses,
names of officers and spokespersons, and a diary of
incidents.
·We are also developing a database of enforcement
information to show connections between individuals and
groups involved in illegal activity.
There has been an escalation of terrorist activity against
furriers in recent months -- windows shot out, twice with
customers in the store; paint splashed on storefronts, bomb
. scares and death threats, and anti-Semitic slogans painted
on windows. Thus the Council's commitment in assisting law
enforcement agencies in bringing this violence to an end.

Henry"'~o_lll!r

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Howa~aus

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Arth

Himmel
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This data is available from the u.s. Department of Justice
in Washington, D.c. · ·This Directory is also available from
our Council, at no charge to law enforcement agencies.
Highlights from our files:

. Animal Liberation Front, founded in Great Britain in 1976
as a spin-off of the Band of Mercy. Methods are direct
action: (a) rescue'animals from places where they are
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suffering and (b) destroy or damage property used to cause
,......,....,:!?~ lc;l!olson ,.... d. .. ·· ... . . . suffering .to ~nimals, · in order to cause financial loss to
tVlas e urners u•1
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exp l OJ.. ters. .· · · ·
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.-':'a. ,. · ·. . ·.... ·: . . ALF Handbook provided by ·u.s. Depar~ment of Justice
w~ 0 ~ 1 ~Jl.4fci'"s~~- · ·i ·· provides detailed instruction on building· a firebomb,
-~~·~c. breaking into resea:ch laboratories, and ~sing etching acid.
Jirni~~ .a~d auto battery acJ.d. . .. :. .
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. · : · . .. ; .. ~~Two ALF .act;ivists were jailed this year ~n England for
Al~mpq(lY. · ·..
fire-bombing three fur . stores i sentenced to up to four ·
. : ·. :. ,. .·· ~.......:~~~- -~~ · yea~s~. ~..:. scotl~nd·,.;xard ·has identified i;:heir:~·:orga~ization as
· · · R.is~<!=9f!~•••: ·~t" an international ·underground terrorist group active in ·the .....
· ~~~·-c.~~"".. :.~t. u .K •./· ~ranc.~/ Canada and t.~e .~ni~ed States~"'·. "..' California' s
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attorney general says the gr·oup

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~angerous terroris~
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one of the most

organizations in the u.s.
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THE ANIMAL RIGHTs PROTEST INDUSTRY
There Is Big Money In Animal Rights!
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he animal rights protest industry, one o~ the fastestgrowing extremist cults in North America, is amassing a small fortune from contributors who believe
that their donations Will help find new homes for a boxfull of kittens, or ensure sanitary conditions at pet stores.
Actually, much of these millions of dollars pays for programs which range from paying legal fees for arsonists to
promotion of veg__etarianism.
Their gun~ Pete\ Sins;_r expounds that all animals from
shrimp to mankmW{tave nervous systems that prove they
have a sense of d tiny and should be given equal rights.
O!)i. a major ~.RQ.~~~§()<nfqr...!!Jg
Author Cleveland
~tremist5;nasoi5Strv~·· that ifflTs.5onco~abetes
and required insulin (wh1 h comes from a lamb). he could
not approve i~ use.
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domestic animals, are easy prey for the well-funded animal
, rights protest industry. The existing board of directors is
quickly overthrown, a new "purpose statement" is adopted.
and funds are allocated accordingly.
Of course, all extremist activities are not violent. Some
are mer:ely designed to win media attention, such as spraypainting McDonald's Restaur:ants with "McDeath:' One
national organization, reporting a $4.3 million increase in
net worth from 1983 to 1986, calls for a ban on bacon and
eggs, labeling the dish, "Breakfast of Cruelty:· One of it!?
officers (one of eight earning more than $50,000 annually)
writes that dogs should be vegetarians, and thus would
stop biting people.
Another organization urges contributions for a "Legal
Defense Fund" to provide legal fees for the more radical
~tid Newkl~J?jJ~.t.2!..2U~~Rlt_.~o_r..tl}~~~b"U:.Et~ elements of the movement.
me[lto&~~i'%F~~pis_h. last summer attractea
This is no peaceful cult! It uses harassment. violence and
·n~fiy30,000 to a v~etaritrf'tocR concert on the Washingpropaganda aimed at school children, calling for "a radical
transformation of human consciousness" and explaining
ton, D.C. Mall, says th"at there is no difference between
humans and animals. She explains: "A rat is a pig is a dog
that "damaging the enemy financially is fair game:·
is a boY:' (A representative of PETA was charged July 6 with
In recent months, fur store owners have received death
threats, had store windows shot out, and had merchandise
felony theft in connection with the disappearance of 180
beavers, valued a~,IOO,OOO, which were taken from
shredded. Furriers, fearing for the well-being of employees•
.a Montana fur far~~
have cancelled charity fashion shows and television
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ga.!lg,w,r~jQ.!!..~
appearances. Many have been slurred by anti-Semitic
~~~ly bserves that "the animal rights
epithets painted on storefronts.
Several groups have bombarded schoolsystems with'
movement is a power stru~e. a societal conflict between
attractive and colorful literature, urging children to write
oppressors.and oppressed"·"\. "a struggle for the total ·
to encyclopedia publishers and members of Congress with
liberation of planet Earth and its inhabitants:•
messages of stopping the "exploitation" of animals for food,
Successfully courting free publicity via acts of viqlence,
animal rights extremists have boasted that sllch groups
clothing, entertainment and research. Bumper stickers are
have caused $5.6 million in damages to. research laboratodistributed reading, "Meat Is Dead!"
ries in California.
To draw attention to their theme. which in turn attracts
hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax-free contributions.
Virtually all animalist grol!pS are funded by contributions, bequests and endowments from the misinformed such activists have torched a cattle feed barn and a frozen
chicken warehouse in California, and splashed red paint on
although an increasing number are finding financial reservoirs in community animal shelter groups with large
numerous fur stores.
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~ndowments. The Internal Revenue Service reports:
Recognizing that the activists are ~eeking high visibility
American Humane Society:
1985 Revenue $ 1.4 million
and may resort to unlawful tactics in their attempt, the U.S.
American Society for the.·
Department of Justice has cautioned furriers to avoid conPrevention of Cruelty: ·
1986 Revenue $13.3 million •
frontation. Newspapers have been discouraged from proAssociated Humane Socie.ties: 1986 Revenue S 2.5 million
viding free publicity that could result in "copy-cat crimes:·
Friends of Animals:
1986 Revenue $ 3.5 million ·
Currently there are more than 200 animal rights/welfare
Greenpeace, USA:
1987 Revenue $11 .5 million
organizations operating in North America. They boast of a
Humane Society of U.S.:
1986 Revenue $10.5 million •
total membership in the millions, although some 50 activ·People for Ethical Treatment
ists orchestrate their attention-getting activity and fundof Anim~ (PETA):
1986 Revenue $ 2.7 million
raising maneuvers.
9/1/88
• Both of these non-profit organizations reported profits of $2.5
million in 1986.'
fur Retailers Information Council
The Pennsylvania SPCA reported a $12.6 million net
655 15th Street, NW Suite 320
worth in 1986, and the New England Anti-Vivisection
Washington, DC 20005
Society a net wc;>rth of $8 million.
Shelter groups, devoted to finding homes for strays and
. working towards.more humane treatment of farm and

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U.S. Depart. of Justice
Office of Licuson Services

Director

Washington, D.C. 20530

May 20, 1987

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DearD
Thank you for your lette~ of May 11, 1987 following up on
our telephone conversation during which you raised concerns about
recent attacks on our nation's fur industry. I appreciate your
bringing this issue to my attention.
I encourage you to send to me any evidence you have
indicating criminal activity committed by animal rights activists
and I will immediately turn it over to the appropriate persons at
the FBI for proper investigation. I am happy to be of assistance
to the Fur Retailers Information Council.
With best wishes, I am,
Sincerel

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Fur Retailers Information Council
101 West 30th Street
Room 300
New York, New York 10001

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