If you bomb homes, you’re terrorists not freedom fighters
Re: “If you heard a child being tortured next door, would you politely knock?” Have Your Say, July 27.
As I have recently been on the receiving end of some barbs from Eric Bahrt, I would like to set the record straight. The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) does not, as Mr Bahrt claims, restrict its attacks to “properties where animals are tortured”. Over the years, and around the world, the ALF and linked groups have carried out arson, bomb and other attacks on factories, farms, offices, a KFC outlet, shops, Oxford University buildings, a boat club, and even people’s homes. Mr Bahrt is defending some very nasty people.
Mr Bahrt quotes from PETA’s website to claim that this organisation is not opposed to pet ownership, but Ingrid Newkirk, the organisation’s founder and president has different ideas, as the following quote indicates: “Eventually pet ownership would be phased out and we would return to a more symbiotic relationship – enjoyment at a distance.” That seems clear enough, although what isn’t clear is whether Newkirk and her organisation are at loggerheads on this issue. I wouldn’t bet on it.
Robin Grant
Bangkok
