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Animal Liberation Front targets Portland worker
By Sarah Skidmore, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, March 15, 2007 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND - The Animal Liberation Front, a militant animal rights group that has kept a low profile in Oregon for a number of years, has resurfaced - vandalizing the home of a Portland employee of Wachovia Securities.
Activists spray-painted the garage and automobile of Jason Bratt, a financial adviser with Wachovia Securities, a subsidiary of Wachovia Corp.
The group is targeting Wachovia for its ties to animal testing, according to a statement posted on the animal rights group's Web site.
“This is a warning to Wachovia,” the statement said. “Sell your shares in GSK or the ALF will continue to target the homes and property of your employees.”
The statement said Wachovia Securities has invested in GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical corporation and a top customer of Huntingdon Life Science - a company that does safety testing on animals such as pigs, rats and dogs for pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial companies.
The activists spray-painted Bratt's car and garage door with graffiti, including the letters “ALF.”
Christy Phillips, a Wachovia spokeswoman, said the company is cooperating with local and federal officials but would not comment on the case.
The Oregonian newspaper reported that in December animal rights activists protested outside Bratt's home and that of David K. Nanson, another Wachovia executive. They wore hooded sweatshirts and bandanas, and one carried a sign reading “Wachovia Securities Kills Puppies.”
The Animal Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for hundreds of illegal acts around the country over the past two decades - from releasing lab animals to committing arson. A list on the group's Web site shows that over the past couple of years they have targeted California far more than any other state.
The FBI has characterized the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front as the United States' top domestic terrorism threats.
Last year, federal prosecutors in Oregon indicted 13 people for a string of arson attacks and other sabotage attributed to the Earth Liberation Front, which caused more than $20 million damage to such enterprises as logging companies, a ski resort and a poplar farm.
Beth Anne Steele, spokeswoman for the Portland bureau of the FBI, says it's too early to say if the Wachovia incident indicates a resurgence of ALF activity for Oregon.
Activists spray-painted the garage and automobile of Jason Bratt, a financial adviser with Wachovia Securities, a subsidiary of Wachovia Corp.
The group is targeting Wachovia for its ties to animal testing, according to a statement posted on the animal rights group's Web site.
“This is a warning to Wachovia,” the statement said. “Sell your shares in GSK or the ALF will continue to target the homes and property of your employees.”
The statement said Wachovia Securities has invested in GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical corporation and a top customer of Huntingdon Life Science - a company that does safety testing on animals such as pigs, rats and dogs for pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial companies.
The activists spray-painted Bratt's car and garage door with graffiti, including the letters “ALF.”
Christy Phillips, a Wachovia spokeswoman, said the company is cooperating with local and federal officials but would not comment on the case.
The Oregonian newspaper reported that in December animal rights activists protested outside Bratt's home and that of David K. Nanson, another Wachovia executive. They wore hooded sweatshirts and bandanas, and one carried a sign reading “Wachovia Securities Kills Puppies.”
The Animal Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for hundreds of illegal acts around the country over the past two decades - from releasing lab animals to committing arson. A list on the group's Web site shows that over the past couple of years they have targeted California far more than any other state.
The FBI has characterized the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front as the United States' top domestic terrorism threats.
Last year, federal prosecutors in Oregon indicted 13 people for a string of arson attacks and other sabotage attributed to the Earth Liberation Front, which caused more than $20 million damage to such enterprises as logging companies, a ski resort and a poplar farm.
Beth Anne Steele, spokeswoman for the Portland bureau of the FBI, says it's too early to say if the Wachovia incident indicates a resurgence of ALF activity for Oregon.
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