of focus and organisation.
None of the early liberationist groups had a formal structure. They allowed anyone to set up and carry out an operation against whatever target they fancied. The trouble with this approach was that large organisations were rarely put under pressure and felt no serious effect beyond the damage caused by a single attack.
Quinn decided to set up a new group called Zebra 84 with a different method of operation. Ryan explained the meaning of the name in a television documentary made several years later:
A zebra is a basically a striped horse, but youEl never see a man riding one because they're too aggressive. If you try climbing on a zebrat back, heEl turn around and sink his teeth into your arse. Whatt more, the zebrat jawbone has a locking mechanism, which means that once it sinks its teeth in you're not going anywhere unless you leave a piece of your arse behind in its mouth.?
Like the animal after which it was named, Quinnt new group was going to sink its teeth into one organisation at a time and not let go until it was destroyed.
Zebra 84t first targets were Scottish fur farms. Typically, Quinn and three or four associates would enter a farmt premises, free as many animals as they could and then vandalise or set fire to the building in which theyr been kept.
Over the following weeks, Zebra 84 activists would ruthlessly harass anyone who had anything to do with the targeted farm. Strictly non-violent tactics ranged from vandalising delivery vans, stealing post, supergluing locks, sabotaging water and electricity supplies and generally making life hell for the farmt owners and anyone who did business with them.
A farm or laboratory targeted by Zebra 84 was usually driven out of business in a matter of months, as other companies stopped delivering vital supplies and insurers refused to renew policies covering fire damage.
Over the next fifteen years, Zebra 84t controversial tactics made it the most notorious and effective animal liberation group in Britain. Despite the success of Quinnt tactics, he resisted the temptation to expand, always relying on a small band of loyal activists and never targeting more than one organisation at a time.
This elitist attitude enhanced the groupt standing and Zebra 84 steadily gained a reputation as the special forces of the animal liberation movement.
QUINN BITES OFF MORE THAN HE CAN CHEW
2001 saw Zebra 84by one of Britaint most prestigious universities with funding sourced from cancer charities and the Ministry of Defence.
Puffed up from this success, Quinn decided that Zebrat next target would be Malarek Research. With 1,100 employees at animal laboratories in Britain, Canada and the United States, Malarek is responsible for up to 10 per cent of all the animal experiments conducted in the world each year, including all of the experiments done by the worldt two largest manufacturers of consumer products (washing powders, shaving foam, hair dyes, etc) and many experiments done by the worldt biggest drug companies. Fourteen million animals per year die in its labs.
Quinn knew the campaign against Malarek would be the longest and most difficult of his life. But his small group did not have the resources to defeat a large multinational company, so he used his legendary status within the animal rights movement to form alliances with other liberationist groups in every country where Malarek does business.
THE STING
More than a dozen groups came together to form the Zebra Alliance. Unfortunately for Quinn, one of the American groups her contacted had been infiltrated by the FBI. Video recordings made by undercover FBI agents in which Quinn told an anecdote about toppling the crane were sent to the British authorities.
Just weeks into the Zebra Alliance campaign, Quinn was arrested and charged with arson, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and possession of illegal explosives. He faced life imprisonment, but after a six-week jury trial, Quinn was only found guilty on a single charge of arson. The judge sentenced him to six years in prison.
THE AFM
Many believed that the groups aligned against Malarek would crumble without Quinnt leadership. While the American and Canadian campaign efforts were thoroughly infiltrated by the FBI and amounted to little more than a few heavily policed protest marches, the campaign against Malarekt UK experimentation facility had a significant effect on its operations.
Many suppliers withdrew services to the company after being harassed. Customers and employees were intimidated by threats of property destruction and the company was unable to renew insurance cover on its buildings.
But eighteen months into Quinnt prison