Animal Rights Movement Gone Wrong: : PETA's Terror Connections

PETA has often stressed about ethics and morals: The ethics of non-violence, humane treatment of animals, and the rights of animals to be free from subjugation of any kind.

Even supposedly harmless usage of animals, such as training guide dogs to guide the blind, is considered a travesty to their cause.

Given their zero-tolerance against violence, is it any possibility that PETA tacitly supports violence against violence, in a "using poison to fight poison" strategy?

PETA's Links with Pro-militant Activists

PETA's links with militant groups, such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front, has always been a subject of controversy. One particular incident, however, placed PETA in a usually difficult spotlight.

In 1992, PETA made a US$62,000 grant to a former member of the ALF, and later a US$32,000 loan to Rod Coronado, in a bid to support his lawsuit. His crime? Fire-bombing a Michigan State Research University laboratory.

PETA's tacit support for ALF has attracted widespread flak from the public. Along with Rod Coronado, many ALF members have been found guilty of committing arson against animal research labs, slaughterhouses and many other forms of government and private properties.

And quite rightly, PETA's nefarious activities have not escaped the scrutiny of government enforcement agencies.

In January 2005, the ALF was named as a terrorist threat by the United State's Department of Security. In hearings, held on May 18 2005, officials from both the FBI and ATF stated before a Senate Panel, that "violent animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists now pose one of the most serious terrorism threats to the nation", and included the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front as two of eco-terrorism's most enigmatic fronts.

PETA's Wish-washy Attitude Towards Eco-terrorism

While PETA claims that it has never engaged in violent forms of eco-terrorism, its official stance towards ALF is another subject of great controversy.