Liberation Tour more about the music than revolt

Thursday's Salt Lake stop of Total Liberation Tour 2004 seemed more concert than call-to-action — especially not one for violent acts of ecoterrorism as FBI officials here predicted last week.

The event, which drew about 100 people to downtown's Library Square, included music from a variety of Fugazi-style punk bands — where the guitar riffs sound angry and the lyrics are shouted more than sung — and a handful of speakers calling for awareness of human and civil rights violations around the world.

And while there was clearly a vegan lifestyle, animal rights sentiment present, including the northern California-based band "Gather," whose lead singer Eva Genie belted out that "the animals are defenseless," there were no outward calls for violence, nor any sign of the nationally known Animal Liberation Front or the Earth Liberation Front.

Last week, FBI special agent Ray Mey said the tour was a platform for ALF and ELF members and those sympathetic to their causes. Mey also said national spokespersons for each organization were expected to speak in Salt Lake City.

Mey suggested such an appearance was significant because in the past month, ALF and ELF, or persons affiliated with those groups, have claimed responsibility for arson fires at a West Jordan business and at Brigham Young University's Ellsworth Farm animal husbandry center that caused more than $1 million in damages. No one has been arrested in either arson, nor in two other prior acts of vandalism at Ellsworth farm, which have also been linked to ALF.

On Thursday, however, FBI spokesman Bob Wright played down Mey's statements that the tour would promote further "terrorist" acts, saying that the U.S. Constitution grants everyone the right to assemble and express their opinions.

"It's a great place we live in where the Constitution allows us to do this," said Wright, adding that he did not know if bureau agents in other tour cities had experienced any problems with violence. "From my perspective, it's a situation where public safety is our number one concern. Obviously, individuals that incite violence or open calls for public disobedience that violates law will obviously be a concern to law enforcement."

Most of those gathered at Library Square on Thursday declined to speak with anyone from the media, some brushing reporters off as irresponsible or too "corporate" to be fair. But those who would comment said they believed police had unfairly judged the event, its participants and attendees.