The network was set up in the UK in 1993 after the growth of the UK
Earth First! and
Earth Liberation Front (ELF) groups. At that time there was a sharp rise in the number of actions relating to the environment and a corresponding rise in the number of arrests. The network was initially called the (H)ELP Support Group. The name was chosen to be non-sectarian and neither linked to the ELF or Earth First!. The name changed in 1994 when Noel Molland of
Green Anarchist magazine took over the group. In 1995 Molland was arrested and convicted for
Conspiracy to Incite Criminal Damage in the
GANDALF trial. Since that time the network has spread internationally. It provides regular news on current prisoners and contact details of their support networks. It currently features a variety of prisoners, from various anonymous
leaderless resistance movements and established groups such as the ELF (including the
Green Scare prisoners),
Animal Liberation Front,
MOVE,
SHAC 7,
Antifa, Lecce Five and the
SNGP campaigners. ==See also==