Florence, Italy – Animal Liberation Front: Who are behind the recent incendiary actions in Tuscany?

According to this post, an incendiary attack in Montelupo Fiorentino on 31.12.2012 was at least the fourth in recent months in the Tuscany region of Italy. In early October, the ALF entered a slaughterhouse in Colle Val d’Elsa and sabotaged the electrical system and machinery. A truck was destroyed by fire at a meat company in Troghi on October 27th, and on November 24th the ALF set fire to a truck at a slaughterhouse in San Giovanni Valdarno (Florence).

According to this report under the title “On the arrest of two fascists for attacks signed by the ALF” (10.1.2013), two men were arrested and one is wanted by the Italian authorities on charges related to the recent arsons across Tuscany, including the latest arson attack in Montelupo Fiorentino. However, some animal liberation activists in Italy warned that the arrestees, especially one named Filippo Serlupi d’Ongran, are most likely fascist infiltrators who appropriated the ALF practices. Below are excerpts of this announcement:

“We report the [mainstream] news of these days about the arrest of two animal rights activists, as well as the issue of an arrest warrant against a third person, who are accused of four incendiary attacks that took place in Tuscany over the past three months, the last of which was the arson of December 31st on eight trucks owned by the dairy industry in Montelupo. All the actions of which they are accused have been claimed and signed with the initials ALF (Animal Liberation Front). The first of the three suspects, Filippo Serlupi d’Ongran, has admitted responsibility for all four arsons. In newspaper articles, reference is made to his militancy in the extreme right (…). A brief search on the Internet has provided us with other information, including his facebook profile in which there are photos that show him surrounded by women who are reduced to sexual objects. (…) We have no information about the political positions of the other two suspects, but if [they are indeed involved and] they chose to carry out actions with a person who bears pro-fascist ideologies, then this choice at least casts doubts on them as well. (…) While we agree with the actions of which they are accused, we obviously do not care to support or sympathize with these people. This episode should also be an occasion for further reflection from the part of antispeciesist individuals and groups on how to find strategies or further explore our content so that it does not leave room for doubt and ambiguity; in order to, thus, reaffirm the libertarian context of our struggle.”