Animal Liberation Primer, 2nd and 3rd editions. (Publishing date unknown, materials compiled from England, the United States, and Canada)

Groups operating outside the confines of the law, especially those who utilize a leaderless resistance model, often resort to self published manuals to spread ideology and practical advice on tactics. For the Animal Liberation Front, the Animal Liberation Primer series was the equivalent of the Irish Republican Army’s volunteer handbook. Spread far and wide by sympathetic activists, touring punk bands, and ALF supporters groups, this tiny guide put the power of direct action into the hands of thousands of people.

The Primer focused on security culture, direct action philosophy, tactical decision making between animal rescues and economic sabotage, and more direct how-to directions. Many of the instructions contained in this edition had to be redacted from our archive in order to comply with federal laws on distributing information detailing how to commit arson. Other than standard warnings against lighting fires which might harm animals, including humans, little attention was paid to the long term implications of burning down buildings, including the additional resources available to law enforcement to slow a burgeoning movement for animal liberation. While not ignoring the issue of consequences completely, it was a failure of the authors to not dedicate more space to examining the long term effects of a direct action campaign on public support, repression, and momentum. That being said, one would expect a greater degree of heavy handed, ideologically rigid language from a zine such as this. Fortunately the tone remains determined and confident without titling towards cultish.