Eco-Terrorism (Earth Liberation Front)

[Fred Shapiro]

Here's a still earlier cite for "ecoterrorist":

1986 _St. Petersburg Times_ (Dow Jones) 4 July  Forget the image of the
friendly U.S. park ranger in his campaign hat giving a nature talk around
the campfire.  This may come as a terrible shock to you, but those guys
are deadly eco-terrorists in disguise.  For most of this century, they've
been slowly and secretly exterminating the wildlife, ravaging the natural
areas and destroying the national treasures entrusted to their care.

The above uses the term oppositely to the common usage.  Later in 1986 is
the following usage in the conventional sense:

1986 _S.F. Chronicle_ (Dow Jones) 29 Dec.  This month, unsigned "Wanted"
posters appeared in store windows in town [Mount Shasta, California],
calling two of the most prominent environmentalists "eco terrorists" and
accusing them of "serious crimes against the people of Mount Shasta ... by
attempting to destroy the economy, growth, recreationa nd enjoyment of
thousands of residents and visitors therein, by locking up our natural
resources and holding the public hostage to their selfish beliefs and
demands."


Fred Shapiro


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Public Services     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  and Lecturer in Legal Research            Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------