Robin Webb

Robin Webb
Born	c. 1945 (age 71–72)
Nationality	British
Occupation	Press officer for the Animal Liberation Press Office
Years active	since the 1980s; press officer since October 1991
Known for	Animal rights advocacy

Robin Webb (born c. 1945) is an English animal rights activist. He is a former member of the ruling council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and former director of Animal Aid. A British court ruled in 2006 that Webb was a "central and pivotal figure" in the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).

Since October 1991, Webb has run the British Animal Liberation Press Office, which releases material to the media on behalf of activists operating as the ALF, the Animal Rights Militia (ARM), and the Justice Department. He has said that his policy as press officer is "never to criticize any action, whatever it may be, so long as it has been undertaken with the sincere intention of furthering animal liberation." This has led to criticism that Webb has appeared to condone acts of violence.

Webb has been involved in animal rights advocacy since the 1980s. He told No Compromise that his interest began when he started a new job at an electronics company located next to a slaughterhouse. Seeing the animals being delivered, and experiencing the smells and sounds, he found himself unable to eat meat. He said, "I made the connection; the blinds were torn from my eyes ... I couldn't eat a part of what I at last perceived to be an individual with their own feelings and needs." He and his partner, Margaret, became vegetarians at first, then three months later, vegans.

Ronnie Lee, the founder of the ALF, had acted as the movement's press officer. The press office at that time was part of the Animal Liberation Front Supporters Group (ALFSG), an above-ground organisation with an open membership. In 1991, the ALFSG decided to stop speaking on behalf of the ALF because of constant police attention, and a decision was made to create the role of ALF press officer as a separate office. Webb says he was chosen because he had a respectable image.

The office's name was changed again to the Animal Liberation Press Office after the introduction of the Terrorism Act 2000, to protect the office from police attention and to reflect that it issues statements on behalf of ARM and the Justice Department, as well as the ALF.

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