Activist tricks may be the scariest thing this Halloween

After 30 years of monitoring the strategies and tactics of animal rights activist organizations, it takes quite a bit to surprise us here at the Alliance. One activist group managed to do just that a few weeks ago when they stooped to a new low to promote their goal of animal liberation – or “trying to destroy animal agriculture,” as its founder stated at the 2016 Animal Rights National Conference.  Direct Action Everywhere is a relatively new and small activist organization that has attempted to make its presence known by staging protests and “disruptions” of public events ranging from the opening ceremony of the Pennsylvania Farm Show to major league baseball games. The goal is always the same – generating attention and media coverage for animal liberation – or, this organization’s belief that all animals should be treated as humans. These actions have failed to create any real traction, so DAE has taken a page out of other activist organizations’ books in an attempt to drive more traffic to the “Donate” button on its website: producing undercover videos. The practice of getting activists hired on farms to capture footage that will be used to malign animal agriculture is dishonest enough. DAE has taken it a step further and made “stealth visits” to farms and entered barns (usually at night, and without permission, of course). The group’s founder, Wayne Hsiung, stated in a media interview that they felt had the right to enter the property because they suspected animal cruelty.