ABSTRACT
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, one of the most serious domestic terror threats in the US is posed by "eco-terrorists" belonging to groups such as the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF). Since the founding of the earliest REAR groups, ALF in 1976, Environmental Life Force and Earth First, numerous groups emerged that share their philosophy. Understanding the difference between peaceful apocalyptic and radical apocalyptic frameworks as they apply to the REAR movement is absolutely vital for determining which groups and individuals pose a genuine threat to human safety. Biocentric views in the REAR movement can lead to direct actions, typically peaceful in nature, on behalf of non-human creatures. Some REAR activists call for more extreme measures to protect non-human species and the wilderness, such as limiting family size forcibly through establishing legal limits. Using the apocalyptic framework of analysis clarifies the governing logic, mood, and motivations that inform REAR positions.
