The Non-Humans First Declaration - Альянс Защитников Животных

Whereas; non-human animals are being oppressed and murdered by over 99 percent of the human population and these humans refuse to denounce human privilege.

Whereas; non-human animals are in a situation of immediate emergency and global holocaust with no human crises even coming close to its scale.

Whereas; we recognise our role as animal rights activists as being to directly advocate for non-human animals giving their interests a voice (as they have none in human society), rather than to represent our own ideologies and interests.

We seek to work under the following voluntary principles:

No one should be excluded from participation in animal rights activities based on their views on human issues. The non-human animals are in a situation of immediate emergency and need all the help they can get! Furthermore, the women’s rights, anti-racism, etc. movements have no requirement that participants reject species oppression and nor should the animal movement demand the adherence to human rights positions while animals are still in a state of emergency. Of course, every rule has its exceptions (as decided by individual groups) but these kind of bans and exclusions should not be the norm in animal rights.
Tactics should prioritise non-human animals, given their emergency situation and the fact non-human animals are being oppressed by the majority of humans. No tactical idea should be excluded from the discussion based on its conflict with human rights ideology.
We are aware and concerned about the fact that some human rights improvements within a fundamentally oppressive system towards non-humans leads to increased oppression of non-human animals. For example, economic improvements leading to increases in factory farming, meat consumption, animal labs, etc. We therefore call on human beings to free their own (non-human) slaves before demanding their own rights.

We recognise that individual situations require different responses, these are not rules or policies – nothing is set in stone. These are just generalised, flexible principles. Also we do not seek to define others’ participation within animal rights, these are our principles, we do not seek to force them on others and we expect others not to force us to conform to their beliefs.

This declaration is totally voluntary and we respect opposing views providing they are not used to exclude people from participation in animal rights activities.

The Non-Humans First Declaration does not oppose the idea of human rights, nor does it put non-human animals above humans in moral status. Its aim is only the recognition of the emergency situation of non-human animals and the fact currently the majority of humans are in a oppressor/oppressed relationship with non-human animals.

Noted Signatories:
George House (Former Animal Liberation Prisoner)
Sasha Boojor (269Life)

Official page of The Non-Humans First Declaration