THE ANIMAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IMPACT

SINCE 199O, ILLEGAL ACTS BY individuals or groups trying to advance the cause of animal rights or the environment have escalated significantly, especially in the U.K. Although such acts have roots in the past—in the Vietnam War protests, for example—today their coordination is far more international than any protests during previous eras. Aided and abetted by the Internet, these groups operate in many countries on several continents simultaneously. Those who engage in these illegal acts—euphemistically called direct action—in the name of the environment or animal rights have a common set of views. They generally oppose the use of animals for research, pelts, or meat; destruction of wildlife habitat; hunting; corporations that process or sell meat; suburban sprawl; and biotechnology Individuals who vandalize a research lab on one day may a few months later burn down a house under construction to fight suburban sprawl. They believe the Earth is being destroyed so quickly and animal ...