Following last week’s attempt by Surrey Union riders to knock people down and issue death threats, six sab groups convened for a return visit to show we will not be intimidated. The groups from South Coast, Brighton, Croydon, Chicester and Guildford descended on the Surrey Union kennels  at 5 am and waited for the hunt to leave.

Surrey police who did nothing last week, decided that these actions could be classified as intimidation, unlike death threats, but we stood our ground, and no arrests were made for these dubious reasons.  A single hunt supporter did drive her car at speed at saboteurs and then take photos from a distant, which was again not seen as problem by the police.

As the sun rose high in the sky it was clear that the hunt was not going to leave the kennels so all groups left.

If any hunt tries to stop our members by threats and physical violence watching their activities it is clear they are up to no good. Such hunts will receive similar treatment and find themselves with many more sabs than usual to contend with.

Cub hunting starts in the South East with death threats

The Cub hunting season has started in the south east. After a tipoff from members of the public guild Hunt sabs visited the surrey union at their kennels at 5:30am.

The ten invited riders (cub hunting is by invite only for the most blood thirsty) were not happy to see the sabs and tried to lose them by fast riding. One of their number a Mr Freddie Ford proceeded to try and ride down one the female sabs repeatedly and then threatened to kill her in front of members of the public who expressed their horror. The police were called causing the hunt to pack up but were greeted by surrey constabulary at their kennels. 

Video evidence has been supplied of the incident. Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: “The practice of cub Hunting has no place under the Hunting Act and cannot be excused as a method of training hounds to a drag. The fact that hunts still go out in the early hours should be enough evidence in itself to show that illegal hunting is taking place, and all police forces should take this into consideration. Once again members of the Hunt saboteurs Association have to spend long hours monitoring hunts only to be the subject of abuse and physical attacks. It is time the police clamp down on the illegal and violent countryside gangs, masquerading as legitimate organisations.”

Hunt Saboteurs evidence leads to conviction

Two members of the historic Meynell and South Staffordshire Hunt were today found guilty of breaching the 2004 Hunting Act. The case against the Right Honourable John Edward "Johnny" Greenall, recently resigned huntmaster and major patron of the hunt and Glen Morris, steward and assistant terrierman was based on video evidence obtained by hunt saboteurs in October last year. This is the first conviction, since hunting was banned, of illegal hunting during the cubbing season where young hounds are trained by killing foxcubs.

This is the second time in as many years that members of a major East Midlands Fox Hunt have ended up in court for alleged offences of the Hunting Act. Last year, the huntsman and terrierman of the prestigious Fernie Hunt based in Leicestershire were convicted of illegal hunting and interfering with a badger sett.

Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: “It is a great credit to these saboteurs that, despite the flaws in the Hunting act, they were able to gather concrete proof of illegal hunting. Cub hunting is one of the guilty secrets of the hunting community and we hope this evidence that it is still being practiced by such a prestigious hunt will force the police to enforce the Act more rigourously. This is proof that, over seven years after the Hunting Act became law, hunts are still training their hounds to illegally chase and kill wildlife.”

The full video of the incident can be viewed here.

We are pleased to hear that the West Street Tickham Hunt, in Kent, have been forced to disband. Their country will be taken over by the Ashford Valley and East Kent Hunts.

The hunt are citing financial reasons and lack of decent hunting country as the reasons behind their demise and are farcically trying to turn it into a positive! Tim Easby, director of the Hunting Office bizarrely said: “This is excellent progress and the hunts are to be commended on the mature way that this has been dealt with.”

Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association stated: “For once I find myself agreeing with the pro-hunt community as I also see this as “excellent progress”. Unlike them however, who are desperately trying to put a positive spin on such a disasterous story, I genuinely mean it. This fantastic news means there will be one less group of blood thirsty law breakers careering across the countryside murdering wildlife and assaulting any who stand in their way and I look forward to more “excellent progress” from the hunts in the years to come”