Inside the Bold New Animal Liberation Movement: No Masks, No Regrets, All the Risk

“We’re daring these industries to try us in the court of public opinion and in the court of law.”At least on the surface, what DxE was doing wasn’t particularly novel. Search YouTube, and you’ll find thousands of other videos documenting animals suffering inside factory farms. So many groups have relied on this technique in recent years, in fact, that eight states have made the practice of filming inside farms illegal with so-called “ag-gag” laws. Even in states without these laws, activists can be prosecuted for other violations, such as stealing and trespassing. For that reason, activists who record inside farms typically conceal their identity to protect themselves. It’s also the reason that political activists from left-wing groups like antifa wear masks—indeed, many have been arrested for concealing their identities in recent months as anti-Trump protests have intensified.That’s where DxE stands apart. In the video from that night, viewers can see Caroline and Alexandra Paul carrying the calf and other DxE members playing with her, faces clear, nothing concealing their identities. The group typically also uses its activists’ real names in press releases. Founded in San Francisco in 2013, DxE now has activists in 134 cities and 34 countries and is focused on an approach the group calls “open rescue.” DxE has performed hundreds of rescues at animal facilities, including turkey, hog, chicken, and dog operations. Not a single company to date has prosecuted DxE. Meanwhile, the groups says its 12 open rescue videos on YouTube have more than 3 million views combined. Of those, the video of its rescue of two piglets from a Smithfield facility earlier this year is the most popular, with 1 million views and 18,800 shares on Facebook.