On Monday, Jan. 6, 2003, David Barbarash released the following statement announcing his resignation as North American spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front.
Effective immediately, I am resigning my position as North American spokesperson for the Animal Liberation Front and ending my tenure with the ALF Press Office.
I have held this voluntary position since the summer of 1999, and after three and a half years I’ve come to some conclusions and perspective about the work and role of a public spokesperson.
I have enjoyed the work immensely, and it has been very rewarding to me personally, but I do believe that, overall, my position is not necessary for the furtherance of animal liberation. In fact, in some cases, I believe that it is detrimental to the overall movement forward.
Too many times I have not been able to convey the message that needs to be heard – the suffering of animals, our collective responsibility to end this suffering and the animal carnage which continues seemingly unabated.
Too often I have not been given the space in the media to explain why it is that the ALF take the action that it does, and the underlying reasons why people would want to risk their freedom to save animal lives. Too often the story has been about me, about the “person behind the Press Office,” the only public face of the underground movement.
Granted, I can understand the interest in such a story, but this is not what the Press Office or my role was established for.
I now believe that there is no real need for an “official” public face to represent the Animal Liberation Front. The ALF will continue to take direct action as long as there remains animal suffering, torture, and murder, regardless if a public spokesperson exists. A public spokesperson does not encourage more ALF action; continued animal abuse is the driving motivation.
I also believe that the existance of an ALF Press Office and a media spokesperson give reason for other groups and individuals to NOT speak up in support of the underground movement. My role has allowed others to step aside and not take a positive public stand on illegal non-violent direct action.
To those in the animal rights/liberation movement who are surprised by my resignation or upset about the lack of a public voice for the ALF, I say this: Now is your opportunity to step forward! Now is the time for your local animal rights group to put out a press release in support of the ALF when they next strike in your area. Now is the time for you and your friends to organize and garner public support for the ALF when next they raid that fur farm in your town or state, or destroy those meat trucks at the local slaughterhouse, or paint slogans on the neighbourhood fast food outlet.
Now is *your* time, Animal Rights Person/Animal Rights Group!
Let’s face it: A few dozen public spokespeople across the continent, all speaking up in support of the ALF is a much better situation than that one public face you see and hear about all the time. The story isn’t about me, it’s about the animals, and the brave people who risk everything to save them. My resignation is a step toward re-focussing the media away from a persona, and toward the real issues of animal exploitation, by removing the one story they love to pursue: the media guy.
And it is an opportunity for the animal rights movement to step up the fight and play a more critical role in this struggle.
Although I am resigning my position as public spokesperson, the ALF Press Office will still exist and will be run by several anonymous people. The Press Office will still be a recipient of anonymous communiques from the ALF underground, and the Press Office volunteers will continue to send out those communications to the media.
The primary delivery service that the ALF Press Office will now be utiliziing is the Animal Liberation Frontline Information Service email list. I strongly encourage reporters, editors, and all media to subscribe to this service, which is also the primary method of press release delivery by the Earth Liberation Front Press Office.
To subscribe simply go to http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=frontline-news and subscribe your email address.
Effective immediately, the ALF Press Office can now be contacted at [email protected]. Emails sent to our old address <[email protected]> will be forwarded on for a short time until the account is permanently closed.
There is now no telephone contact for the ALF Press Office. All phone lines have been disconnected.
The mailing address post office box will remain open for now, until other arrangements are made.
On a final note, donations to the ALF Press Office are still gratefully accepted by the people who will now take on the responsibility. As well, donations to help cover the cost of legal expenses incurred in my fight to retrieve the property seized by the recently-determined illegal RCMP search this past summer on my home and office are also gratefully appreciated.
All donations and communications can be mailed to:
ALF Press Office
P.O. Box 3673
Courtenay, BC
V9N 7P1 CanadaFreedom and Liberation,
David Barbarash