The Elf's Fires Malm

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Two thousand two activists, geoffrey lures and craig marshall, set fire to three pickup trucks at the romania chevrlet dealership in eugene. On september fifth, two thousand one torched an office building on the university of washington's campus in seattle. The elves had initially agreed on the necessity of a new tactic, but when it became clear the actic wasn't working their philosophical differences became insurmountable. Some members of the eugene cell, wanting retribution, doubled down early.

Warning of imminent ecological catastrophe, the Earth Liberation Front became notorious in the late 1990s for setting fire to symbols of ecological destruction, including timber mills, an S.U.V. dealership and a ski resort. The group was widely demonized. Its exploits were condemned by mainstream environmental groups, ridiculed by the media and inspired a furious crackdown from law enforcement.

But in 2022 the group is more relevant than ever. These days even America’s mainstream environmental movement has begun to take a more confrontational approach, having previously confined its activities largely to rallies, marches and other lawful forms of protest. Even the “staid” environmental groups based in Washington have slowly started to embrace more radical tactics. Climate activists are starting to abandon their dogmatic attachment to pacifism, choosing instead to work toward destroying the “machines” inflicting the damage — but will such a radical idea prove effective?

The journalist Matthew Wolfe delves into the world of the activists, and questions the future of environmental activism.

This story was written by Matthew Wolfe and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.