Eco-terrorists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eco-terrorists - Essay Example As revealed, the organization who claimed responsibility for setting the SUVs on fire, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) indicated that these incidents â€Å"were intended to "take the profit motive" away from those responsible for pollution† (Tamaki, Chong and Lansberg par. 2). Support One element that confirms that the group who set fire on SUVs in California must be labeled as eco-terrorists is that members of the group who claimed responsibility actually were identified and labeled as â€Å"a loose association of militant environmentalists† (Tamaki, Chong and Lansberg par. 2). These groups of people are considered eco-terrorists because they wreak havoc on the lives of innocent people in the guise of protecting nature and the environment. The group like the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), who were responsible for the SUV vandalism believes â€Å"that the human species is perpetrating a war on nature and that those who are connected to nature and belong to it have a ri ght to defend themselves† (FoxNews.com par 10). As such, as environmentally oriented, the members of the group are not merely terrorists but clearly fall under the eco-terrorist classification or category. Support Eco-terrorists sow terror on many people through acts similar to political terrorists such as arson, bombings, vandalism and harassment and destroy millions worth of properties. Again, the descriptions satisfied the element in the definition of the term as the members use arson against innocent victims through destruction of property (SUVs). The FBI estimates that the damages of the attacks of eco-terrorists amount to more than $100 million (FoxNews.com par 6). Likewise, as revealed in one of the featured stories in the official website of the FBI entitled â€Å"Violence in the Name of the Environment: The Case of the Calculating Eco-Terrorist† (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), â€Å"ELF has even boasted on its website that its members racked up some $ 55 million dollars in damages in 2003 through illegal anti-development and SUV dealership attacks† (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) par. 5). Support Eco-terrorists tend to target companies who they feel are doing damage to nature. This is evident in their attack against some SUV dealerships in California which they set on fire (Shpritz par 1). They consider SUVs as pollutants because of their poor fuel efficiency. Likewise, as revealed in the official FBI website, â€Å"The ELF advocates "monkeywrenching," a euphemism for acts of sabotage and property destruction against industries and other entities perceived to be damaging to the natural environment† (FBI par. 10). The members of the ELF were also reported to have engaged â€Å"in significant intelligence gathering against potential targets, including the review of industry/trade publications, photographic/video surveillance of potential targets, and posting details about potential targets on the internet† (FBI par. 11). As such, the targets were explicitly stated as organizations, both private and public, which were deemed to promote products and services that pose threats to the environment. These facts all support the conclusion that the group of people who set fire on SUVs in California should be labeled as â€Å"eco-terrorists† due to primary motive, group ideals, the targets for their violent actions and the damage inflicted, as a whole. Even if the group’s ideals were supposedly to protect the environment, their means