Projects and Cases

Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

Join in the Fight Against the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

As you know, last November Congress passed and the President signed into law the AETA. Learn more about AETA. Check out our AETA tri-fold. Please feel free to reprint and distribute.

Proponents of the bill, including animal-exploiting industry groups, corporations and the politicians that represent them, pushed for the passage of the AETA ostensibly to crack down on violent animal and environmental rights extremists; even though there has not been a single injury or death caused by anyone involved in an animal or environmental action. The bill criminalizes legal, constitutionally protected activity in order to silence political dissent targeting animal and natural resource abusing industries.

The AETA:

• sweeps up free speech activities such as boycotts, whistle blowing, protests, media campaigning, picketing, audio/video recording, or any other activity that "interferes" with the operation of an "animal enterprise" resulting in a loss of profits.
  
  
• singles out animal and ecoactivists for exceptionally harsh penalties based solely on political ideology.
  
  
• is not needed to curb violent actions; federal and state laws already protect corporations from criminal activity.
  
  
• was designed to eliminate the threat that effective activism poses to the profits and power of the animal and natural resource industries.
  
  
• is so vague in its language that it could be used to criminalize anyone protesting the activities of an animal enterprise, which could impact labor unions, community groups, health organizations and social and economic justice movements.
  
  
• does not provide an exception for those engaged in labor disputes which is contrary to established law.
  
  

We believe that this threat to free speech is part of a larger effort by corporate interests to use the terrorism label to constrain social activism.

We invite you to join us in building a national grassroots mobilization to demand the AETA be repealed and deemed unconstitutional. With your participation, we hope this Coalition can be a way to more strategically coordinate grassroots outreach and action, legislative advocacy, and media attention to more effectively reverse this erosion of rights. You may join the Coalition as an individual or as a partnering or endorsing organization. Please see the sign on form for more details about these levels of membership.

We will be having a nationwide call on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 5:00pm PST (8:00pm EST) to formally create our coalition and begin our work.

The call's agenda will include:
1. Introductions (10 min.)
2. Discussion of DRAFT Principles of Unity (25 min.)
3. Discussion of decision making structure and ground rules (25 min.)
4. Discussion of Coalition plan and work; establishment of Working Groups (25 min.)

To join us for the call, please email abolishtheaeta@gmail.com for the call in number and code. If you are interested in joining the Coalition please fill out and return the sign on form and review the DRAFT Principles of Unity, which we hope to discuss and agree upon during our first call.

In the meantime, please circulate this invitation to anyone you think will be interested in joining us and contact us at abolishtheaeta@gmail.com with any questions or thoughts.

We look forward to working with you to abolish the AETA.
Lauren Regan, Attorney & Director, Civil Liberties Defense Center, Eugene, OR
Lauren Melodia, Education & Outreach Associate, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York, NY
Dana McPhall, Attorney & Director, Campaign Humane, a project of the Int'l Humanities Ctr., Los Angeles, CA