Listening and Aiding the Silenced

Report from the 2nd Animal Liberation Philosophy and Policy Conference, Syracuse University April 23rd, 2005

Listening and Aiding the Silenced

By
Syracuse Animal Rights Organization

 

Syracuse, New York home of historical actions by the ALF and ADL is now more of a training grow. It hosted the 2^nd Annual Animal Liberation Philosophy and Policy Conference. A one of a kind conference for the animal liberation community. While there is no discussion on how to hand out a flyer properly or how to shop ethically, the topic is still non-human animals. One of the conference’s main goals was to allow for serious discourse on the Animal Liberation Movement, not animal rights, welfare, going vegetarian, or how to groom your non-human friend. For every movement there needs to be a place where direct action is supported and not challenged. Furthermore, where veteran activists can debate, discuss, and challenge each other on extreme tactics, strategies, and philosophies.

            This year the conference not only spoke indirectly about the best group in the movement – the Animal Liberation Front, but  directly about other groups that have been silenced – queers, females, young people, and political prisoners. Panels includes “Queer Liberation and Animal Liberation: United at Last,” and “Taking Down the Walls of Suppression,” which focused on making links between sexism and speciesism, and womyn’s narratives of experiences in the movement. The Queer Liberation and Animal Liberation panel featured: Aaron Zelhoeffer an Anti-HLS activist, who made links between the oppressions; Marti Kheel of Feminists for Animal Rights, who spoke about the similarities of coming out gay and coming out vegetarian; and Amanda Swift and 1^st time presenter Crystal Johnson, Canadian activists who defined queer discrimination and how to be queer inclusive in a group.

            Another panel topic was “Coalition and
Outreach Building,” in which different strategies of communication to the public were discussed. Darius Fullmore discussed the “selling” of Animal Rights to the public. Mathew Calarco of Center on Animal Liberation Affairs examined the bridge between radical environmentalist movements and the Animal Liberation Movement and Animal Rights philosophies, as well. Adam Weissman spoke about living off the grid and living an anti-capitalist lifestyle.

            Also a circle-discussion about political prisoners, prison abolition, and direct action took place on the stage of the auditorium. Attendees sat down and listened to the facilitators, SHAC 7 member Andy Stepanian, Moe Mitchell of Critical Resistance, and Benjamin Persky former political prisoner, share their own experiences and allowed others to discuss the topics at hand.

            The last panel was about taking down the walls of sexist suppression in the animal liberation movement. Homefries, of  Boston Ecofeminist Action, spoke about her problem of sexism in the movement. Laura Geonivi, a student activist, explained examples of the links between speciesism and sexism throughout millenniums. Finally, beth puma, a member of Hofstra’s animal Rigths group and the Long Island Womyn’s Collective, shared narratives of womyn’s experiences of repression in the movement. Afterwards, the discussion was based around how to stop the perpetuation of society’s sexism within our movement.

The end of day people found out that many more were silenced than realized and that supporting direct action, such as the ALF, is not a white heterosexual male “thing to do.” We are finding out that possibly behind that mask is a queer feminist ready to burn down the first sexist, classist, vivisector’s home.

            The next day, Sunday April 24, was the “State Your Reaction to State Repression” Conference sponsored by more than a dozen organizations and in solidarity with a west coast conference . Attica to Abu Ghraib at
U. of
Berkeley. Topics discussed there were the PATRIOT Act, political prisoners, current repressive court cases, defense councils, and alternatives to prison. The keynote address was a webcam address by Ann Hansen, former political prisoner in
Canada. The conference was followed up by a candle light vigil for Syracuse Muslim Dr. Dhafir, being persecuted for donating money to Iraqi children.

For more information, check out www.SyracuseAnimalRights.com