10 Easy Ways to Be Labeled a “Terrorist” by the Government
[Editor's Note: This is a guest post by Will Potter, author of Green is the New Red.]
The FBI labels the environmental and animal rights movements the number one domestic terrorism threat. Those activists have never flown planes into buildings, taken hostages or sent anthrax through the mail. So how did they make it to the top of the government’s list?
Here are 10 ways you can be labeled an eco-terrorist:
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10.) Sabotage corporate property.
Underground groups like the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front have released animals from fur farms, vandalized SUV’s and, at the most extreme, set fire to empty buildings. Those crimes have only harmed property, not people, but the government has pushed for terrorism enhancement penalties in those cases. It may come as a surprise that sabotage is the bottom of this list, but these cases are actually only a very small focus of the bigger Green Scare.
9.) Fall in love with an FBI agent.
That’s what happened to Eric McDavid. He didn’t harm anyone or break anything, but he was convicted of conspiring to sabotage federal facilities in the name of defending the environment and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The entire case against him hinged on the work of Anna, an FBI operative who provided the group with bomb-making recipes; financed their transportation, food and housing; strung along McDavid, who had the hopes of a romantic relationship; and poked and prodded the group into action.
8.) Attend vegan potlucks.
While Al-Qaeda continues to release video communiques threatening Americans, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces are using anti-terrorism resources to attempt to infiltrate vegan potlucks.
7.) Protect your privacy.
The FBI and local law enforcement have been exposed for spying on activists around the country, including peace activists in Maryland and the HoneyBaked Hams protesters in Georgia. Understandably, many activists don’t want their faces in FBI files, so they often wear bandanas at protests. And guess what? The government says THAT is terrorism. Joint Terrorism Task Forces have arrested an animal rights activist in Virginia for wearing a mask, and four California activists are facing terrorism charges for the same.
6.) Beat the good ol’ boys at their own game.
A Utah lawmaker is promising to introduce new eco-terrorism legislation. His target? Not the Earth Liberation Front, Animal Liberation Front, or some shadowy underground group. Hes openly, proudly targeting mainstream environmentalists. Specifically, he has his sights on Tim DeChristopher, the University of Utah student who disrupted an oil and gas auction by bidding on parcels of land. The state lawmaker says DeChristopher’s auction bids are no different than burning down a mans cattle operation eco-terrorism. DeChristopher took millions of dollars away from us, and hes laughing at us. Its not right. Its not fair.
5.) Stop the symbolism.
With the RNC coming to town, local organizers in the Twin Cities set up a community infrastructure including housing, transportation, child care and protest logistics. They worked with a wide range of mainstream, lawful organizations. They were very public, vocal and outspoken from the beginning about their intentions: We don’t just want a photo opportunity or a symbolic civil disobedience, were going to disrupt business as usual. The government’s response? Eight organizers were arrested before the protests began for conspiring to riot in the furtherance of terrorism.
4.) Be vocal and unapologetic.
The government hasn’t made headway on the vast majority of crimes by groups like the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front. So they’re targeting above-ground activists who vocally, unsympathetically support the underground. In the SHAC 7 case, animal rights activists were convicted of animal enterprise terrorism for running a website that posted news of both legal and illegal actions against a notorious laboratory, and vocally supporting all of it. The government also uses grand juries like the recent one in Utah to harass and intimidate activists, and force them to testify about their political beliefs and political associations.
3.) Go after their money.
I’m not just talking about the kind of property destruction mentioned in #10. Sweeping new legislation called the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act wraps up a wide range activity as terrorism, including causing a loss of profits to an animal enterprise. Causing a loss of profits is not terrorism: it is effective activism.
2.) Get to their root of the problem.
The government isn’t going to label people as terrorists for recycling or volunteering at an animal shelter. That’s not because those things aren’t important, its because they aren’t radical in the true sense of the term: they don’t get to the root of the problem. When activists go deeper — when they move beyond questioning the types of light bulbs we use to questioning the entire, unsustainable economic system — that’s when they truly become terrorists.
1.) Be effective.
More than anything else, this is the sure-fire way to be labeled a terrorist. For instance, shortly after the historic victory of Proposition 2 in California, a corporate front group bought a full-page ad in the New York Times labeling the Humane Society of the United States as terrorists. Whether its activists burning SUV’s or passing landmark legislation, the common thread between every activist being labeled a terrorist is that they are successful. In this War on Terrorism, the number one domestic terrorism threat includes any environmental activist who is passionate, uncompromising and, above all else, effective.
Will Potter is an award-winning independent journalist who focuses on how lawmakers and corporations have labeled animal rights and environmental activists as “eco-terrorists.” Will has written for publications including The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News and Legal Affairs, and has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting. He is the creator of GreenIsTheNewRed.com.
Photo credit: hermmermferm on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
But you are terrorists.
I can’t find anywhere on the FBI site that says that they’re the number one threat, only that they’re currently the most active domestic terrorists. This is a meaningful difference between threat capability and thus-actualized action. I’d like to see a link to something more incendiary.
Mostly, while I agree that anti-terrorism is looking super scary big brother style, this post is pretty damn deceptive. Mostly, you can’t lump together legit govt action against arson and other such stuff with things like being labeled a potential threat for going to vegan pot-lucks. The latter is of much more concern to me in terms of our rights. It smacks of McCarthyism.
Blowing up buildings, on the other hand, with our without people in them is simply just not something I can buy. I’m deeply concerned about sustainability, but I don’t think I’ll ever be convinced that destructive actions are appropriate for this cause. When you’re so firmly in the right about something, the last thing you want to do is give people a reason to put you in the wrong. People can be pretty stupid, but eventually they’ll come around. It just takes time for new generations to get into power that grew up with different views about the world. Activism should be about accelerating this change. You have to realize how fundamental of a change it is to understand what it will take for it to come about.
You have to appeal to reason because, when it comes down to it, people want what seems reasonably best for themselves and their children.
Civil disobedience like the Utah kid’s is sweet, but blowing stuff up is just asinine.
“Terrorism” is a fairly meaningless term anyway — it just refers to normal government violence being carried out by non-government actors. So, of course anything activists do will fall under the “terrorism” umbrella. That’s what the umbrella is for.
Politics is weaponized langauge, don’t think we can keep appealing to Oxford dictionaries, or calling on common sense. That’s not the battlefield we’re on anymore.
It is easy to see why leftist groups, seemingly benevolent in nature, are feared. The problem is you represent an ethos which is not defined spiritually. Why is this a problem? I assure you, not because I give a crap about your spirituality, but because the government protects me from odd balls associated with a statedly spiritual righteousness. However, I am unprotected from zealous left wingers intent on bullying various social mandates derived from an ethos I may not share. There is no check on you, because you all think you are doing good. Leftists are as dangerous as the religious right, only there is nothing to protect me from them.
I see the government using the label “terrorist” in these instances as just how focused on protecting corporations our government is.
If laws are broken by activists.. you just prosecute as would be appropriate .. no need to pull out a fear mongering “terrorist” label just to protect a corporate bottom line.
matt—-do you profit off the destruction of the environment or exploitation of animals? no? then what are you worried about?
most of the united states believes that money is more important than life.
Thank you for all that you do, Will…keep up the good work!
aaron, the point isn’t whether you agree with a tactic, it’s that they’re using that tactic as an excuse to go after you.
as for your link, i found it in a matter of seconds-5th paragraph:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/24/schuster.column/index.html
This top ten list clearly demonstrates that the government doesn’t care so much about the “rule of law” but rather protecting corporate profits.
Repression is a response to effective activism. Let us all resist such repression and continue to forge ahead in our work for a brighter future for all.
Just be a photographer…that usually puts you right on top of the list.