Protect Our Wild Animals has today been informed that, following incidents at a meet in February and complaints to the police, the Huntsman of the Cotswold Vale Farmers Foxhounds has pleaded guilty to racially abusing a hunt sab, fined £100 and ordered to pay £200 compensation to his victim. As Morgan's offence was, apparently, fully captured on video, a guilty plea was probably wise. He becomes the 296th individual connected with an organised Hunt in the UK who POWA records show as having received a criminal conviction or caution in the last 20 years, and the 39th official Huntsman to receive such legal sanctions.
POWA Person says:- Sabs have made numerous reports, and complaints to police, of assaults by servants and/or supporters of this Hunt. I believe the racial abuse incident was at the same meet, on 26-2-11, when they made allegations of a mob-handed and prolonged attack on several sabs, resulting in some injuries, and which they claimed was both instigated, and participated in, by Mr. Morgan. The full text of the sabs' report can be read here. Since then, in March police arrived in force at the Hunt's behest, arrrested several sabs for, the activists say, no good reason and then red-facedly had to drop the charges. In October a CVFFH hound was killed by a lorry when the pack ran out on to an A road, with hunters and sabs blaming one another. A week later, monitors filmed the Hunt all over another road for several minutes, causing traffic chaos. Pictured right, A CVFFH hunter berates sabs in that calm and polite way they have. The horse seems resigned to listening to it yet again.
Hunt Saboteurs Association Press Release 7th of November 2011
Chaos in the Countryside
A week after falsely blaming hunt saboteurs for the death of one of their hounds, the attached video shows the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt casually risking the lives of their hounds. They were filmed throughout the day hunting on main roads, causing traffic chaos and at least two cars were forced to make emergency stops to avoid killing hounds. When the saboteurs voiced their concerns about how dangerous it was they were met with physical and verbal abuse.
Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt saboteurs Association, stated:
"It was very convenient for the hunt that saboteurs were present last week as it gave them an easy scapegoat for the death of their hound. This video shows conclusively that the hunts don't care for any animal, even their hounds, and are happy to put their lives at risk, and cause chaos, in the name of sport."
Two hunt saboteurs have been run down and injured by a quad bike, driven by a member of the Tedworth hunt, in Wiltshire.
The hunt saboteurs were parked up in a narrow lane watching the hunt when a quad bike, driven by the hunts terrierman, accelerated towards them. Despite there not being enough room to pass their landrover and with absolutely no regard for the two people who were standing at the side of the vehicle, the quad drove at them. The driver shouted to "get out the fucking way!". There was no time and nowhere for the hunt sabs to go. The quad drove at speed knocking down two men and driving over the upper arm of one of them. The quad sped off. It was a deliberate act which could have been avoided. Both men suffered cuts and bruises and one has suspected fractured ribs.
The sabs called 999 and reported the incident to the police. The hunt - complete with quad - came back past about 10 minutes later. The riders were recklessly riding very close to people. The quad driver threatened one of the sabs he'd just run over and said "you and me, down a quiet lane - then we'll see....".
Lee Moon, Press Officer for the Hunt Saboteurs Association said: It’s business as usual in the countryside. The hunts continue to illegally kill wildlife and act with violence towards anyone who tries to stop them. In election year, with the Tories promising to repeal the Hunting act, we feel it is important for the British public to know what type of people these are - willing to illegally harm people and wildlife in pursuit of their own pleasure.
For more information please contact Lee Moon on 07774 279 133
Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 October 2009 18:24
HSA News Release 21st August 2009
Derbyshire Police payout over £37,000 to Hunt Saboteurs
11 Hunt saboteurs from Yorkshire and the Midlands have each received over £3,000 after reaching an out-of-court settlement with the Derbyshire Constabulary following their wrongful arrest in January 2008.
The saboteurs were in attendance on the Meynall and South Staffordshire Fox Hunt when they were arrested under anti-trade union legislation after the police deployed the force helicoptor and dog units. They were held unlawfully for 24 hrs and the 11 were on police bail for several months. As part of the settlement DNA and finerprint evidence is in the process of being removed from police databases.
Violence and lawbreaking has returned to the countryside in 2009 as fox hunts continue to hunt and kill in spite of the hunt ban, and hunt supporters resort to violence and theft in order to protect the lawbreakers.
All hunts get extra media attention on Boxing Day and they tend to be on their very best behaviour, but once the spotlight it off it’s only hunt saboteurs and hunt monitors who witness what’s really happening.
At the Avon Vale Fox Hunt on 27th December, seven Hunt Saboteurs were in attendance to investigate claims of illegal hunting. Before they were able to unpack their cameras and start to gain evidence of law breaking, they were attacked by up to 15 armed men wearing balaclavas. The assailants broke a camcorder and stole the batteries before setting about the group. When police were called four times, one officer eventually arrived who seemed unconcerned about investigating the allegations of assault and theft.
Thousands of hunters signed a pledge to break the ban and risk prosecution in 2004. It now seems that they needn’t have bothered. The numerous loopholes in the Hunting Act make securing a conviction very difficult and the hunts have cottoned on to this – and act with impunity.
All we want for Christmas is enforcement of the bloody law!
Petition and postcards ask Govt ‘For Fox Sake Enforce the Ban!'
The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) has unveiled a new petition and postcard campaign asking the Government to enforce the ban on hunting, and the first postcard returns are arriving at the Home Office now ready for the Boxing Day hunts. Boxing Day remains a keynote date on the hunting calendar, and the 26th December will see hunts up and down the country meeting and parading in public. The HSA, an anti-hunt organisation with over 40 years of campaigning against all forms of bloodsports, believes the hunt ban can and will work but only if the powers that be pull their finger out and enforce it!
