Gamekeepers and police assault hunt saboteurs at home of Tory Peer.

Hunt saboteurs in East Anglia today spoke of their ordeal when they were repeatedly attacked by a gang of gamekeepers supporting the Eastern Counties Mink Hounds. The incidents, which happened on Saturday (10 July), took place whilst the protestors were using non violent direct action to prevent the hunt from killing mink on the Ditchingham Hall estate near Bungay on the Suffolk/Norfolk border.

Picture of sab with nose broken by hunt thugs

Up to 20 gamekeepers repeatedly tried to start fights with hunt saboteurs at the Eastern Counties Mink Hounds on Sat 10 July, and one female saboteur received a broken nose and whiplash injuries as a result of an attack. The police initially took no interest and were even seen driving some of the gamekeepers around. Following remonstrations from the
saboteurs, a hunt supporter was eventually arrested. However, enquiries to the police for a crime reference number have proved fruitless.

15 police vehicles, including a police helicopter, attended the hunt and 3 saboteurs were arrested for alleged offences. The protestors, from Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk, claim that hunt supporters were allowed to attack the arrested people as they were being led away. They also claim that the police carried out a baton charge and struck protestors around their legs with batons.

Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson Nathan Brown said "The activities of the police on Saturday have to be brought under scrutiny especially given the fact that Ditchingham Hall is a large shooting estate owned by Earl Ferrers. We are left wondering if the police were his private security force that day." Earl Ferrers is a Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk and Conservative member of the House of Lords. He also lists shooting as a
recreation in Debretts.

Mink hunting is an activity taken part in by hunting enthusiasts when foxhunting and harehunting do not take place. It is acknowledged by many wildlife experts to be more damaging to fragile wetland environments than the activities of mink.
A report by Suffolk Wildlife Trust on the activities of the Eastern Counties
Mink Hounds submitted to the parliamentary Burns Inquiry into Hunting concluded "Our witness ended with the opinion that the disturbance created by the hunt far outweighed the damage done by mink...."

A photograph of the saboteur immediately after her nose was broken is available (low resolution copy attached)

ENDS

Hunt Saboteurs Association Press Office
www.huntsabs.org.uk
All press enquiries - Tel: 07815 313181
BM HSA
London
WC1N 3XX
Other enquiries 0845 4500727 (24hr ansaphone)

Nathan Brown
Homepage: http://www.huntsabs.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Big Men

13.07.2004 09:08

Violence against animals, violence against people, it's all the same to these thugs. If their pray is being non violent or can't defend itself then they can 'attack it'.

How unusual the filth thugs of the state didn't arrest any hunt scum.. ;)

Minx

Dirty Hunt Scum

13.07.2004 18:41

Thank goodness that someone is doing something, since the government have repeatedly failed the public on their pledge to end bloodsports. Shame that the inbreds are having to sate their bloodlust on innocent protesters.

la bouche

Duplicity!

14.07.2004 17:11

It's just a shame that the new legislation against Animal cruelty doesn't also cover Lords and Ladies romping around the countryside on Horseback after poor little wild mammals, isn't it!?

Oh, but, that's OK - they're rich, so they're exempt from such laws, aren't they?

And they're also friends with your caring, sharing local MPs as well, so they must be good sorts!!

Then there's the vivisectors, the battery farmers, the military (who still insist on using non-human test subjects), the 'fast' food producers...the list goes on.

Still, when The Revolution comes they'll be first ones against the wall.

Respect due to the Hunt Sabs - keep up the good work.

A. Narky

Sabbing PR

15.07.2004 17:36

I am very sorry for those who continue to be attacked by the 'countryside all-liars'. I have to say though, if comrades put as much time and money into political campaigning as they do sabbing, I think the ban would have come by now.

When I was a sab (hunt saboteur), people always repeated the mantra 'every week we save lives'. However, although campaigning is much slower, the individual lives saved will be worth it in the end. Letter writing, picketing, placard waving, wearing fox costumes, etc may not be as rock and roll as wearing a balaclava and running through the woods every week, but sabbing only stops a fraction of hunting.

Lets work towards the ban,

R

Former Sab - R

Liberalisation not legislation

19.07.2004 09:49

I would just like to say that i have never been hunting and have no intention of ever doing so. I do however believe that it is not my place to tell other people what they should or should not do. To have people turning up to any persons house wearing black balaclavasis both intimerdating and threatning and should not be condoned by hunting or anti-hunting groups.

Bobby

Response to the above comment...

19.07.2004 18:18

Point 1:

Maybe the reason that people turn up Ballied up is because the law is written (and therefore) biased in favour of the rich minority whom own most physical assets and perpetuate the current status quo of multilateral exploitation of ALL species (including our own).
It is to this same rich minority that the Police are ultimately accountable.
It is also mainly this rich minority whom perpetuate bloodsports, and therefore lead by example to others in society.

Point 2:

Maybe because of the above stated reasons in point 1, people are protecting their own liberty by wearing a Balaclava.
There is safety in anonimity
This is also why other groups around the world, like for example, the Zapatistas also wear Balaclavas.

Point 3:

If you are going to go down the 'liberal' path of everyone being accountable for their actions by remaining visible, perhaps you should also tell the SAS to remove their Balaclavas when they're on a mission too.

Point taken..?

Annie Malle

Response

20.07.2004 10:59

I am glad that you took the time to reply. I accept that the idea of SAS going in to battle not 'ballied up' seems slightly rediculous however I am no longer sure as to what your aim seems to be. Your note seems to imply that you are fighting a war against the rich minority and that the protection of aminals is, at best, a secondary goal. Would it be unfair to say that you would be just as happy to be on an anti-capitalist march as on a march to protect animals? I hope that your view of the rich minority is not clouding your judgement on an entirely seperate issue - that of animal cruelty. On top of this i dissagree with your point that the law is written by this group. Any adult (who is not a lord, criminal or insane) is entitled to vote or stand for election. Thus every adult (not just the rich minority) has some, albeit small, influence on how the law is formed.

I hope that you take the time to look into the seperate issues and calculate your protests in a way that is appropriate to this. I still maintain my view that turning up at someones house 'ballied up' is not an appropriate means of protest.

I will be interested to hear your reply.

Bobby

String the bastard up..

22.07.2004 12:26

Lawrence Shirley, the 4th Earl Ferrers was executed in this way, good enough for his descendant?

Foxy