A Diarist of Animal Rights Crimes
The Respectable Face Behind "Bite Back"

By FCUSA executive director Teresa Platt
(Updated October 2006)

A pop up on the www.animalliberation.net site, dormant since the beginning of 2002, leads one to www.directaction.info, "Bite Back," which offers what is now a predictable diary of crimes against farmers and researchers, anyone raising animals, attacks on anyone making a living (part of their anti-capitalism campaigns), plus interviews with those caught and convicted.

The "pop up" advertisement says it all. A parody on the Master Card commercials, it flashes:

gloves $4
balaclava $8
boltcutters $24
liberation, priceless
bite back
directionaction.info

Ironically, www.directaction.info lists an address where you can mail the check (222 Lakeview Avenue, #160-231, West Palm Beach, FL 33401) in West Palm Beach, located in Palm County, Florida which boasts the highest per capita buying income in the U.S.

Bite Back states it was "Formed in 2002 too feed an animal rights movement hungry for ALF advocacy, Bite Back is all volunteer, grassroots organization/, and its publications are free to everyone." [sic]

www.directaction.info goes on to tell us "Bite Back strives to create a culture of support for the Animal Liberation Front and direct action by means of prisoner support, news reporting and the production of inspirational stories, photos and ALF support merchandise." (1)

So Who Bites Back at Bite Back?

Atwood is the newly hired Communications Coordinator for the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. His bio on their website (2) tells us Atwood is a Minnesota native with an undergraduate degree from Macalester College (St. Paul, MN). Atwood "recently received his M.P.A., with a specialization in nonprofit management, from New York University. Prior to graduate school, he was Director of Communications for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida." (3)

ARFF!

What did Nicolas Atwood leave out of his bio posted on the Palm Beach County Cultural Council website? Quite a bit.

On Dec. 7, 2001, while working as Director of Communications for Houston Rockets millionaire Nanci Alexander's Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF), (3) Atwood registered the ALF promotional Bite Back website, www.directaction.info, promoting criminal actions against all sorts of targets. The "library" on this site includes photos and video of criminal actions and property destruction, along with interviews with convicted eco-terrorists. Visitors are encouraged to write letters of support to these prisoners. (4)

In November 1999, Atwood was a featured speaker with other animal rightists in a forum entitled "Disney's Animal Kingdom: Nature, Simulation and Animal Rights." Atwood's presentation was on "Targeting Disney: The Grand Opening of Animal Kingdom." (Click here, then see p8)

In December of 1998, Nicolas Atwood, 25, and Eric Phelps, 28 and husband of PeTA campaigner Kristie Phelps,(5) engaged in their own version of cultural exchange, defacing a swordfish fountain outside a fishing museum. The two were charged with felony criminal mischief.(6)

In the late '90s, Nicolas Atwood and Nanci Alexander's Alexander Foundation were listed as "patrons" of No Compromise, an extreme ALF/direct action support group. Featured on the www.nocompromise.org site are breathless press releases about criminal actions and the usual how-to manuals on arson and incendiary devices.(7)

In the summer of 1997, Atwood, then 24, was arrested for climbing on the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile while wearing a pig mask and screaming "Meat is murder!" (8)

In May of 1995, Atwood protested in Minnesota alongside ALF spokesperson Katie Fedor.

The Palm Beach County Cultural Council says that it "depends on its members to provide vital support to fulfill its mission to develop culture in our community." As a member, promises the Council, one can help "all forms of culture; orchestras, dance and opera; zoos, science centers, and literary and history organizations; museums, theaters and every artistic pursuit."

Nicolas Atwood's view of culture is questionable but one thing is obvious: As Communications Director for the Palm Beach County Cultural Council, he has access to the home addresses and banking information of the global elite. And that puts him in the ALF catbird seat. Yikes.

NOTES:

(1) We assume the name "Bite Back" was chosen to tie in with Rodney Coronado's worldwide speaking tour. Fresh out of prison, Rodney is busy touring the world telling tales of his "Operation Bite Back" crime spree, undertaken by what Rodney called the "Wildlife Unit of the Animal Liberation Front." Operation Bite Back landed Rodney in jail for, among other crimes, destroying labs doing research on PCB pollution in wild mammals and a variant of "mad cow" disease.

Rodney learned his eco-terrorist trade on Sea Shepherd boats, received money and recent kudos from Ingrid Newkirk at PeTA and is now on the lecture circuit. Recently he was caught on video by the Center for Consumer Freedom telling a roomful of eco-terrorist wanna bes, "I wish I didn't have to stand up here and talk about and justify and encourage direct action -- encourage breaking the law, encourage burning down buildings... but I do." Sigh.

(2) At the time this article was first published, Atwood's bio was at http://www.pbccc.org/About/Staff.aspx. However, this page was removed shortly after.

(3) ARFF and the Alexander Foundation are run by Nanci Alexander, wife of Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, both millionaires, "patrons" of ALF-supporting No Compromise and PeTA supporters. They maintain at least one home in West Palm Beach. According to its IRS Form 990, in 2001 the Alexander Foundation gave $1,000 to the charity Animal Rights America (ARA), giving as the purpose of the contribution "Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign." This campaign, known as SHAC, uses threats, intimidation, harassment and violence in a bid to close down animal testing company Huntingdon Life Sciences. ARA has come under the spotlight for suspicion of serving as a conduit for funding to animal rights extremists, including outside America, which would be in breach of US law. See "Animal welfare thugs funded via US charity," Daily Telegraph (UK), Dec. 2, 2001; also "Slam-Dunking Animal Rights", Center for Consumer Freedom report, July 28, 2003.

(4) Bite Back's site includes a posting of a "communiqué", or press release, of vandalism and arson reportedly done by ALF-ELF against a mink farm in Lubia, Spain in September of 2002 and January of 2003. Crammed full of details on the layout of the farm, how the crimes were committed, the road taken to escape and mention of the criminals stopping for a cuppa tea while on the run, the breathless "communiqué" reads like an adventure story. Trouble is, none of the posting is true. There are zero mink farms in Lubia, Spain and no crimes matching the description posted ever happened. The "communiqué" is dedicated to ALF prisoner Barry Horne (deceased) and the "palestinian people (not the palestinian state)" and includes rants against the "israelian fascist army" so perhaps it's just propaganda by other than ALF?

(5) Eric Phelps, spouse of PeTA staffer and "Lettuce Lady" Kristie Phelps, has traveled around the country with his wife. As one of PeTA's "strippers-for-a-cause," she strips in public in a shameless bid for column inches. Kristie is also listed as "Editor - Correspondence" on the website of In Defense of Animals, with the e-mail address kristie@idusa.org

(6) See "Two charged for defacing Broward fishing museum," Palm Beach Post, Dec. 21, 1998.

(7) The No Compromise NC "Steering Committee" includes regular ALF cheerleaders along with convicted criminals: "Angi Metler, New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance/Animal Rights America; Anne Crimaudo, Animal Rights America; Cathy Goeggel, Animal Rights Hawaii; Chris Tarbell, Animal Defense League Syracuse; Darren Thurston, former A.L.F. prisoner; David Hayden, ARDAC/Coalition to Fight Dominionism; Derek St. Pierre, Animal Rights Direct Action Coalition - San Francisco; Gina Lynn, ARDAC/Chatham 3 Support Committee; Josh Trenter, Animal Rights Direct Action Coalition - San Francisco; Justin Taylor, Long Island/NYC Animal Defense League; Miyun Park, Compassion Over Killing; Tony Wong, Animal Defense League -- Indy" along with "Benefactors": "Anne Crimaudo, In Defense of Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Catherine Rice." Sponsors include Ingrid Newkirk of PeTA and Alex Slack, who killed himself while under investigation for crimes in Utah, among others.

(8) See "A Frank Exchange" by Dave Barry, Miami Herald, July 13, 1997.

See also:

FCUSA Press Kit Special Feature : Regulating the Conflict Industry

For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, 826 Orange Avenue, #506, Coronado, CA 92118 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 575-5578/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.

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