Extreme Advocacy

Omri Brinner
Professor Gabor
February 2009
Extreme Advocacy
I enjoyed reading Jennifer Squires’ article about the case of the animal activists, their actions, and the authorities response on the Mercury website. Squires stated that four animal activists were arrested last week following their extreme advocacy methods that included violent protests, terrorized propaganda, and property invasion. The activists aimed their anger towards UC system researchers in Santa Cruz, Riverside, and Berkeley, calling them murderers and abusers. Last week four of those activists were arrested by the FBI and face court accusations against them.
The article’s content applies to me since I too have gotten involved in advocacy for ideals and issues that are important to me. Even before I entered the circle of advocacy I wondered where lies the limit of the actions taken by activists and who defines this limit? At this point it seems to me as if it is a personal/group decision. One group for example might think that the animal activists actions are blessed and should be increased while another might see them as criminal, unethical, and irresponsible actions. I believe that any sort of demonstration or protest is a lost cause if one does not use some kind of violence. It does not have to be over aggressive or terrorizing, but a peaceful march will not do. It does not attract enough and changes absolutely nothing.
Having said that, the actions that were taken by the animal activists will probably not help their cause and will only damage their reputation and legitimacy.

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_11750410?nclick_check=1