The early days of the animal rights/liberation movement are marked by the thoughts and actions of a few brave people not content to patiently wait for society to acknowledge that animals deserve freedom from exploitation. These people were willing to make great personal sacrifices, and for the first time, utilized a combination of economic sabotage and live animal liberations. The A.L.F., through these actions has achieved what other methods have not, while still adhering to non-violence.

The Justice Department first became active in 1993 (sending devices to bloodsport supporters in October of that year) around the conviction that animal abusers had been warned enough times, and that animals had suffered long enough. That it was time that animal abusers had but a taste of the fear and anguish their victims suffer on a daily basis.

The Justice Department is in full support of the A.L.F. in their choice to use nonviolent direct action. However, they see another path open to directly change the fate of animals slated to die. That path involves removing any barriers between legal and illegal, violent and nonviolent. As convicted Justice Department activist, Gurj Aujla, explains, "I think we need to all ask ourselves what works, and then go from there, let's not start from a position that violence is wrong, or law-breaking is wrong. Let's just honestly examine what works. These examples clearly prove that the Justice Department does work..."

Some of the following case studies show the effectiveness of the actions as well as the positive outcomes that have followed. It is important to remember that this is not a comprehensive list of actions, but instead a broad range of examples that have become hallmarks of Justice Department activity.

The 'live exports' trade in England has seen active campaigning for about forty years during which things have only gotten worse. The Justice Department sent a total of six letter bombs in June 1994 to companies involved in live exports, including the major cross-channel ferry company that exported live animals to mainland Europe. Three weeks after this action, all major ferry companies withdrew from the live export trade.

Gurj Aujla who pleaded guilty for sending the above devices continues; "This wasn't token protest, or mindless retribution, or even economic sabotage...it was strategic action. I researched that the meat trade is massive and can't be easily beaten, but live export is one vulnerable aspect of that trade that could be defeated. Furthermore, the ferry companies are not primary animal abusers, they could exist perfectly well without live exports, so hit them and they will withdraw-and they did."

Some people might be thinking that if anyone was convicted for this action, the sentence would be astronomical. Not so - Gurj Aujla was convicted and sentenced to only six years, with three years and three months actually served. Considering some longer sentences given out for A.L.F. actions, this is a relatively short prison sentence for such a significant result.

The Justice Department in Canada began a campaign against hunting guide outfitters across B.C. and Alberta starting January 1996. 65 envelopes with rat poison-covered razor blades taped inside the opening edge were sent to these hunting guides. The success of this campaign can be measured with the following sentence; David Fyfe, a Vancouver Island big-game guide oufitter, has stopped abusing animals after receiving the devices.

Also in 1996, another Canadian campaign against furriers saw the sending of 87 envelopes containing razor blades allegedly tainted with AIDS-infected blood to fur retailers across the country.

The first Justice Department in the U.S. occured November 17, 1997 on the east coast. This was a hoax similar to the more famous Animal Rights Militia hoaxes in which supermarket turkeys were allegedly contaminated with a toxic substance. The turkey bodies were then supposedly placed on shelves in Acme Shoprite, Superfresh, Pathmark Food, and Stop 'N Shop.

The most recent actions in the U.S. occured in September and October of 1999 and again involved envelopes booby-trapped with razor blades. The first of these actions targeted the fur industry and were claimed by the Anti-Fur Task Force of the Justice Department. In this action, over one hundred razor blade envelopes were sent to fur farmers and fur trade representatives in North America. Fur farmers with farms previously liberated and still sticking to the business were randomly sent razor blades coated in rat poison. Included in these envelopes was a warning to those in the fur industry that they have until autumn of 2000 to quit the fur industry, as well as a diagram of a viable poster tube mail bomb device. In October, the Justice Department struck again with the sending of 88 razor blade laced envelopes to members of the vivisection industry who 'experiment' on non-human primates. Specifically targeted were those from Regional Primate Centers across the U.S. Included was a note warning the targets that they have until autumn of 2000 to quit the vivisection industry.

Why do some animal rights activists believe that these tactics are neccessary? In many ways, the same rationale that makes economic sabotage so successful applies to Justice Department actions. Since money is the main motivator for abusers, it is logical to decrease profits for them. The same logic explains that inconveniencing an abuser to a certain point will force them to withdraw from that particular line of abuse.

At a time when people are progressing to successful strategies to bring about animal liberation, Justice Department activists have shown that they are willing to sacrifice their own liberation for this goal. Felony charges and long prison sentences do not deter them from breaking the law to free their fellow animals. Instead, they have become more prepared, professional, and adept at breaking the very laws that hold animals captive.