Previously, on Christmas Eve, a 17 year old protester from Worthing who had been opposing a hunt in Pulborough, returned to his car to find its window had been smashed and a mangled dead fox dumped inside (West Susssex County Times, December 31).
Another protester's car parked nearby had also been vandalised.
Said Simon Wright, the man whose van was burnt: "We receive threats each week. A lot of it is just banter.
"Since the ban they have got their backs to the wall and they are just trying to have a go at everybody. Now it is horrendous."
It looks like the ban on hunting might yet be delayed, but if it goes go ahead on February, campaigners around the country are calling for a big turn-out of animal lovers on Saturday February 19 to counter the pro-hunters, with mass citizens arrests of the law-breakers.