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2 Press Releases from the Hunt Saboteurs Association

HSA | 26.01.2004 11:52 | Animal Liberation

Hunt Master fell while attacking saboteurs + Saboteur seriously injured at hunt - huntsman arrested


I have attached the the countryside alliance press release at the end.........
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HSA news release 24th January 2004

Hunt Master fell while attacking saboteurs


The Hunt Saboteurs Association has hit out at the Countryside Alliance for misleading the media in an allegation that a hunt master was dragged from his horse at the Old Surrey Burstow and West Kent Hunt.

Having spoken to hunt saboteurs present at the scene the HSA Press Officer is able to shed some light on the story: "From what I can ascertain, the Hunt Master Mr. Worsley was trying to whip protestors when his horse reared up. He lost his balance and fell off. He then carried on to attack saboteurs joined by other members of the hunt. Typically the Countryside Alliance have only told half the story in order to misrepresent hunt saboteurs - as usual, it is a case of 'if you sling enough mud...'

"It is interesting that after totally ignoring the horrific incident a week before, when a hunt saboteur was nearly killed after being ridden down by a red coated huntsman, this week the Countryside Alliance have their press and website people on standby on a Saturday afternoon for a conveniently engineered story to push in the media. Unfortunately the media failed to consult the HSA and the BBC have reported the allegation on Ceefax and their website without finding out the truth.

"Anyone with any sense would realise that it would be impossible to pull a horse over backwards. Far from the lies perpetuated by the hunting fraternity, hunt saboteurs are motivated by compassion for animals and are present to prevent harm to animals. The allegation would be laughable, if only it weren't being taken seriously."

He added: "Worsley's arrogance may have caused him to rather foolishly ignore the fact that one of the people he was threatening and attacking was pointing a video camera at him as the incident unfolded. In fact, we seem to agree with the Countryside Alliance on one thing; they are quoted as saying 'What we have seen here today beggars belief' and as far as we are concerned, it certainly does!"

The further claim by the Alliance that hunt saboteurs have "disregard for the welfare of people" is particularly offensive to the HSA given that hunt saboteur Steve Christmas was almost killed at a meet of this hunt on 1 Sept 2000. He is still having to undergo regular medical treatment as a result.

On this subject, the Alliance have failed to mention Worsley's own disregard for the welfare of people. In December 2002 Worsley was fined and received penalty points on his licence at Redhill magistrates after he admitted taking part in a protest on the M25 which a motorway safety officer said "posed an extreme danger".

Also strangely missing from the Countryside Alliance version of events is that the hunt hounds had been trespassing through a member of the public's private garden just prior to Worsley's threats and whip attack.

Notes:
Details of Worsley's conviction taken from "Pro-hunt M25 protesters are fined", Dec 5 2002, Crawley News
Worsley writes, rather appropriately, under the pseudonym 'The Worm' in Horse and Hound magazine, and takes great delight in fantasising over the number of foxes his crappy little hunt dream they have killed.

Details of the attack on Steve Christmas and other information about the Hunt Saboteurs Association can be seen elsewhere on the HSA website - click on image to left.

For further information please contact Nathan Brown on 07815 313181
or Graeme Worsley can be contacted on 07974 837237

ENDS

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HSA news release 17th January 2004

Saboteur seriously injured at hunt - huntsman arrested



A hunt saboteur was taken to hospital today (17 January 2004) with head injuries and severe cuts and bruising to his body after being ridden down, trampled and dragged along the ground at the Crawley and Horsham Hunt in Sussex.

Shortly before dusk, at about 4.20, the hunt were chasing a fox that had run down a bridlepath. Protestors were running down the right of way when Simon Wild was allegedly deliberately ridden at by a member of the hunt and then dragged 100 yards by the horse before being left incapacitated on the ground. He was taken to hospital by ambulance and suffered a broken nose, broken tooth, lacerations and bruising across his face, and cuts and bruising all over his body. He is also suspected to have concussion.

A red-coated member of the hunt was arrested by officers at the scene - but only after the protestor's wife insisted that police take immediate action.

40 police were in attendance at the meet at Shipley, Sussex and focussed their attention on curtailing the activities of protestors who were determined to stop the hunt killing foxes using non-violent tactics such as blowing hunting horns and masking the hunted animal's scent with sprays.

Protestors claim that, throughout the day, there had been numerous attempts by members of the hunt to ride them down. Police were asked to intervene to prevent any injuries but failed to act on the requests.

The hunt has a history of violence and threats against protestors including Mr Wild and his wife. Nathan Brown, HSA spokesperson, said "This sort of brutality is regularly dished out to hunt saboteurs and is indicative of the brutality inflicted on animals by hunting. The longer we wait for a ban,the more animals and people will be killed or injured. I challenge the hunting fraternity to condemn this behaviour, but doubt very much whether they will, effectively giving it their approval."

He went on: "That these huntspeople have the arrogance and aggression to put protestors lives in danger in this manner despite the presence of huge numbers of police gives you some idea of their contempt for our safety and the law. It also implies they feel they have the support of the police to be able to act in this way and expect to get away with it."

Saboteurs claim that whilst they are glad of the arrest, the policing on the day was far from impartial. The HSA spokesperson added "The police are perceived by hunt saboteurs across the country to be acting as a private security force for the hunt, picking and choosing which laws they will apply and who they will apply them to. They ignored requests to uphold the law when hunt saboteurs' safety was in jeopardy, and now a hunt saboteur is in hospital. It seems we can expect no justice."

Photos and video of Mr Wilds injuries are available

For further information please contact Nathan Brown on 07815 313181

ENDS

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Get ready for it................

Date: Saturday 24th January 2004
Release: Immediate

Hunt follower dragged from horse and beaten by masked men in front of wife and children.

A 38-year-old hunt follower was today dragged from his horse and brutally beaten by three balclava-clad anti hunt protesters in front of his wife and two children.

Graeme Worsley, one of the Masters of the Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent Hunt, feared for his life during the attack at West Peckham near Tonbridge, Kent, this afternoon and has received hospital treatment for injuries to his face, jaw and throat.

He said: "Three hunt saboteurs were verbally abusing and threatening my children so I asked them to stop. The next thing I knew I had been grabbed from behind and me and my horse were pulled to the ground.

"I really feared for my life as last year a hunt saboteur had threatened to kill me - at one point one of the attackers had his foot on my throat while the others were hitting me. My wife tried to help but was also pushed to the ground and my children fled the scene. It took me over an hour to find them - that was the longest hour of my life."

"Both mine and my wife's horses became loose and bolted. We found them 10 miles away on the busy A20 an hour and a half later. Thankfully this did not cause an accident and neither of the horses was injured but it could have been a very different story."

Commenting on this violent attack Darren Hughes, Senior Press Officer at the Countryside Alliance, said "What we have seen here today beggars belief. A man dragged from his horse and beaten in front of his wife and young family. The thugs involved in this incident are people haters, they have shown total disregard for the safety not just of the people following the hunt but the public as well. The attackers were trespassing at the time of the attack. Yet again we see hunt saboteurs show total disregard for the welfare of people, young and old but also animals as well."

Ends…

For more information contact the Press Office on 07766 808673 or 07866 737529
Notes to editors: Graeme Worsley can be contacted on 07974 837237


HSA
- e-mail: info@huntsabs.org.uk
- Homepage: http://www.huntsabs.org.uk/

Comments

Display the following 3 comments

  1. All the same.. — /Z/
  2. Ooh, they make me so angry! — Lib
  3. Usual — Dave