November 2, 2007
Responding to the Animal Liberation Front
How should universities respond to terroristic acts by the Animal Liberation Front? Quietly, says Mark Kleiman at the Reality-Based Community, and by compensating researchers for expenses related to the damage.
“Thus shifting the financial burden would reduce the amount of suffering the ALFers can inflict,” writes Kleiman. “Since inflicting suffering in order to compel compliance with their demands is what ALF is all about (insofar as their motivation isn’t purely sadistic), the policy would not only protect victims of actual attacks but also help prevent attacks by reducing the benefits ALF can obtain by attacking.”
Alex Kafka | Posted on Friday November 2, 2007 | PermalinkComments
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I suppose it would be inflammatory to hold a barbeque to raise funds to reimburse the researchers?
— Fred Nov 2, 02:57 PM #
Hmmm, if I were an ALF’er it might just motivate me to step up the campaign. Imagine, I get to intimidate a faculty member AND inflict financial stress on the institution. Dumb idea.
— marci Nov 2, 04:20 PM #
A little projection in this article? Isn’t the point that the lab, not the ALF, is “inflicting suffering” and “sadistic” and the lab animals are collectively the “victim of an actual attack”!
— Daniel Marshall Nov 2, 07:07 PM #
That’s pretty stupid. ALF wants to frighten the scientists. The property damage is just a byproduct. Another division of ALF is called ARM. They have no problem assaulting humans. Money doesn’t help you when they beat the crap out of you. They beat one man with a hammer in the head,threatened to cut his kid open with a knife.
— Reason Nov 3, 07:58 PM #