Center for Consumer Freedom Highlights PETA's Financial Support for Eco- and Animal Rights Terrorism

The Center for Consumer Freedom continues its excellent investigative look at the animal rights movement with a press release outlining People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals‘ extensive financial support from 1995-2000 for individuals and groups who are connected with and advocates of animal rights and environmental terrorism. The entire press release is reproduced below, but the most damaging items are that PETA donated $1,500 to the Earth Liberation Front in April 2001 as well as a $1,500 donation in 1999 to then-ALF spokesman David Wilson.

Here’s the full press release:

Arsonist “Support Committees” Funded By PETA

Washington, DC – In the wake of this weekÂ’s congressional hearings on eco-terrorism,
new evidence shows a close relationship between the animal rights group People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the violent Earth Liberation
Front (ELF). The FBI has labeled ELF as “the largest and most active U.S.-based
terrorist group.”

Richard Berman, Executive Director for the Center for Consumer Freedom, said
the financial links between PETA and ELF are very disturbing. “An investigation
of IRS documents shows that over the past 6 years PETA has given significant
money to the legal support funds of criminals with close affiliations to both
ELF and Animal Liberation Front (ALF),” Berman said. “More shocking is our most
recent discovery of a direct donation to Earth Liberation Front from PETA in
April 2001.”

PETAÂ’s 1995-2000 IRS tax filings show the following:

  • In FY2000, PETA gave a direct contribution of $1500 to the Earth Liberation
    Front (ELF) to “support their program activities.”

  • In FY2000, PETA gave $5000 to the “Josh Harper Support Committee.” Josh
    Harper is an ALF-affiliated criminal arrested numerous times and convicted
    for assaulting a police officer. In 1998, Harper told Eugene Weekly newspaper
    “weÂ’re going to continue to be confrontational, weÂ’re going to continue to
    be militant. If people see that as extreme, then so be it.”

  • In FY1999, PETA gave $2,000 to David Wilson, a Utah-based animal-rights
    extremist who was then a national “spokesperson” for the ALF. In March of
    that year, Wilson bragged to Mother Jones magazine: “We started with animal
    rights, but we’ve expanded to wildlife actions like the [October 1998 ski
    resort arson] one in Vail. We’re the ones bridging the environmental gap.”

  • In FY1995, PETA gave a $45,200 contribution to the “support committee” of
    Rodney Coronado, a convicted arsonist who firebombed a research facility at
    Michigan State University. PETA also gave an unreturned $25,000 “loan” to
    Rodney CoronadoÂ’s father.

  • PETA has used their closely controlled Foundation to Support Animal Protection
    to launder over $500,000 in contributions to the Physicians Committee for
    Responsible Medicine, an organization whose president collaborates with a
    violent animal rights group known as Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC).
    SHAC is a special-interest subset of ALF responsible for firebombings, property
    destruction, grand theft and assault.

“People are being deceived by PETAÂ’s self-portrayal as a warm and cuddly animal
rights organization,” Berman said. “PETA should explain to their contributors
why their money is being used to help finance domestic terrorism.”

The Center for Consumer Freedom is a coalition of more than 30,000 restaurants
and tavern operators working together to protect the public’s right to a full
menu of dining and entertainment choices, through education, training and public
outreach. To learn more, visit www.consumerfreedom.com.

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