Concept

Purpose of the Animal Liberation Hallmarks

The Animal Liberation Hallmarks provide a platform for groups and individuals that perceive animal liberation as a movement for liberation of both human and non-human animals and wish to exclude racist, sexist, homophobic and religious fundamentalist groups and individuals and to prevent infiltration by such elements.
The ALH are additionally intended to facilitate networking between animal liberation groups.

Why the Hallmarks are important

The animal liberation movement strives for the liberation not only of all non-human animals but also of humans. As an emancipatory movement, it rejects any form of discrimination, be it for reasons of species, ethicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief or any other arbitrary distinction.

Both human and non-human animals have the ability to feel pleasure and pain. They have a definite interest in living for their own sake and not as a means to an end. In this sense the interests of non-human animals must be regarded and treated as equal to those of humans.

Persons or associations that claim to be part of the animal liberation movement but arbitrarily discriminate against other humans have an incoherent understanding of the idea of animal liberation. It is inconsistent to reject speciesism without rejecting racism and/or sexism, since the same arguments apply in each case: to regard individuals as inferior because they belong to a certain ethnic group or gender is just as arbitrary as to discriminate against them because of their species.

Persons or associations that advocate a hierarchical relationship between individuals also fail to understand the idea of animal liberation, since they must suppose that some individuals have more value than others. This, however, undermines the idea that the interests of all individuals should be treated as equal regardless of their differences.

Therefore, disassociation from groups and individuals with such an incoherent idea of animal liberation is necessary. They must be prevented from gaining a foothold in the movement.

How the Hallmarks work

The idea is that all interested groups who agree with and operate in accordance with the three points of the Hallmarks can use the Hallmarks logo on their homepage, posters, flyers, etc.
By so doing, the respective group or individual adopts a clear stance against infiltration of the animal liberation movement as well as against the domination, exploitation and discrimination of humans.
To facilitate networking, the list of the groups joining the ALH is published on the ALH website.

Project history

The ALH are a project created in 2008 through the work of a dozen animal liberation activists in Switzerland. They are the product of collective discussions in a culture of grassroots decision-making.

Send us an email if you wish to join the Animal Liberation Hallmarks!

October 2008