Hunt Sabs on Tor
Hunt sabs from across the South celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) by all converging on the South Devon Foxhounds at Dartmoor. (oh, they do know how to have a good time!).
The hunt saboteurs can claim to be the longest running direct action organisation in the UK and have given many an activist their first taste of direct intervention.
The South Devon was the very first hunt the HSA disrupted, all the way back in 1963, using horn calls, sprays and even discarded meat to distract the hounds. The hunt was completely disrupted and soon had to pack up for the day. Sab tactics have changed a little over the years (well apart from the meat!) but the same intentions live on; sabs keep going out to directly save the lives of hunted animals, while politicians and others talk.
The South Devon hunt these days appears to be reduced to a just a few supporters, which made it easier for them to give sabs the slip at the beginning of the day. But it wasn’t long before sabs had caught up and called the hounds off several fox scents during the day. The huntsman didn’t pack up until dark, even though the supporters had all gone an hour earlier.
One muddy sab told Schnews: “We got very wet but it was a pretty funadventure too, going through bogs and rivers between the tors. They were trying to hunt foxes, quite blatantly, but didn’t have a chance with sabs everywhere. If we hadn’t been there they would definitely have killed at least one fox.”
Find out more at www.huntsabs.org.uk or Hunt Saboteurs Association on Facebook.
Whilst Dorset hunt sabs were gathered on a public road to document the unlawful activities of the hunt, an angered rider rode his horse at speed into a hunt saboteur - knocking her from her feet and trampling over her with his horse, before riding off laughing.
“Being raided, arrested, dragged through the legal system and having my property taken from me (including my photo album because it had a "hunt sabs" sticker on it and my notebook for my uni degree in criminology) just for campaigning seems over the top and has been pretty stressful. But it's not going to stop me from fighting for what I believe in and against what I disagree with. This isn't for ego, nor for fame, it's for the exploited and the vulnerable.” SOCPA 7 defendant - Emma
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Debbie awaits sentencing after farce of a court process
The badgers aren't out of the woods yet, as the decision whether to roll out culling hangs in the balance.
The state-sponsored crackdown on animal rights activists continues next month, with the opening of the third 'conspiracy to blackmail' trial relating to vivisection giants Huntingdon Life Sciences in Winchester. Although there are three defendants, two are awaiting extradition from Holland, so the the third, Debbie, will stand trial alone.
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