Monkeywrenching

Monkeywrenching is economic warfare by sabotage, often by illegal means, used to slow down or halt an undesired government-sanctioned activity. In the United States the term is most often used in the context of ecodefense or ecotage. Monkeywrenching is therefore the destruction of earth-moving equipment such as bulldozers, skip loaders, knuckle loaders, logging equipment, and road building equipment. It also includes the removal of road survey markers, billboards, certain bridges, certain power lines, certain power poles and towers, and certain roads.

Related Topics:
Economic - Warfare - Sabotage - Ecodefense - Ecotage

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Monkeywrenching is usually an unorganized activity. Many monkeywrenchers do not know any other monkeywrencher, and perform monkeywrenching alone.

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The term "monkeywrenching" comes from Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Related Topics:
Edward Abbey - The Monkey Wrench Gang

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The term was also used in a more general sense, not specifically related to the environment, in the book 101 Things To Do 'Til the Revolution by Claire Wolfe. Wolfe used monkeywrenching to mean practical jokes and sabotage of what she saw as oppressive government agencies and policies in the United States, especially the IRS, BATF, gun control, and the war on drugs. Although not herself sympathetic to the environmental movement, Claire Wolfe recommended Edward Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang in her book as a reference for ideas which could be applied to any issue.

Related Topics:
Claire Wolfe - Practical jokes - IRS - BATF - Gun control - War on drugs

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