THEY WALK AMONG US: U.S. Army security briefing labeled animal activist group as potential terrorists
The Army briefing on terrorism threats included People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a nonviolent animal rights group, which has long blasted the Army for using working dogs, as well as using animals as test subjects. The briefing noted PETA as an extremist group, conflating it with the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), an international extremist animal rights group. PETA was investigated by the FBI in the early 2000s, but later found it to be inappropriate.
STEVE BEYNON: Army personnel in charge of security at the gates of Fort Liberty, North Carolina, received an anti-terroism briefing Wednesday, training that typically gives a mundane rundown of how to identify potential threats. But this PowerPoint presentation had a glaring difference: It conflated mainstream lobbying groups, partisan organizations and non-violent political activism with terror groups such as the Islamic State and the Ku Klux Klan…
The briefing on threats also lumped in left-wing groups, according to a copy of the slides obtained by Military.com. Those included People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, a nonviolent animal rights group, which has long blasted the Army for using working dogs, as well as using animals as test subjects.
The briefing noted PETA as an extremist group, seemingly conflating it with the Animal Liberation Front — an international extremist animal rights group with a history of violence, including firebombing. PETA was investigated by the FBI in the early 2000s, but a Justice Department inspector general report later found that investigation to be inappropriate.
Some information in the presentation appeared more accurate but was outdated. Earth First and the Earth Liberation Front, eco-terror groups with histories of arson and bombings, were listed in the slides, though such groups have lost much of their relevance in recent decades. The Weather Underground and Black Panthers, both listed as terrorist groups, were active decades ago…
The Army repudiated the presentation, saying it will review such briefings in the future… It kicked off a 15-6 investigation into the presentation amid the public outcry, one source with direct knowledge of the situation told Military.com. The investigations can be wide-ranging, often include dozens of interviews, and are tools that inform decisions on disciplinary action.
The individual who gave the class did not create the presentation themselves, and it was not immediately unclear who made it and how it got into the formal training…
The presentation was shared widely on social media, and quickly caught the attention of conservative commentators and Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. A statement posted on X from the House Armed Services Committee noted that it was “demanding answers” from the Army on the matter.
The service has struggled to articulate what is and isn’t extremism, sometimes conflating partisan or political movements as radicalism. It recently issued a set of new policies that allow it to more easily hold soldiers accountable for expressing radical views — even when off duty, when such views may otherwise be constitutionally protected. SOURCE…
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