STEAM
Make Fox Hunting History march, May 2017
On May 29th, thousands of people marched the streets of central London in protest against Theresa May’s attitude on abolishing the fox hunting ban.
The Prime minister, who is pro-hunting, recently said that if the Conservatives were to win the General Election on June 8th, she will offer a free vote to Parliament to repeal the fox hunting ban.
The Hunting Act was put into place in 2004, prohibiting the hunting of wild animals, under which foxes are categorized. This was a major victory for the animal rights movement, who had fought long and hard over the matter.
Now, just over ten years later, animal rights activists and alike have been riled up again over Theresa’s candid attitude of reversing the ban.
And so, on that Bank Holiday Monday, the largest public protest of the whole General Election campaign, the Make Hunting History march, took place.
Fueled protesters met at Cavendish Square at 12pm, with many attributing some aspect of their appearance to a fox; from orange fluffy ears to full head-to-toe costumes and many with striking protest placards, t-shirts or flags.
It was certainly a visual foxy feast.
There was an undeniable buzz to the square, as people from all over the country came together to march as one. Some were purely supporting the foxes, others purely fighting their current Prime Minister. Either way, they were all there to boldly stand up for something they believed in.
Amongst the crowd were fox hunting saboteur groups. They distinctly stood out amid the pool of color, standing separately in their groups, dressed all in black and giving off a somewhat hostile air.
These saboteurs make it their mission to actively sabotage fox hunts, and so have perhaps been affected most by Mays kick-in –the-teeth revelation.
Despite the 2004 Hunting Act, fox hunting is still allowed under certain circumstances and ‘hunts’ still regularly take place. Hunting parties claim they are either following a fake fox scent that has been laid for the hounds to follow (‘trail hunting’) or that they are doing it for a reason which is deemed lawful, such as for the protection of Game birds.
It is believed that many hunts take advantage of these loopholes and in fact hunt unlawfully. In light of this, many protesters were also calling for a total ban of the sport, or at least better policing of it.
At 1pm several speeches were made, kicked off by wildlife campaigner Dominic Dyer, thanking the crowd for their support and reinforcing why it was so important to make a stand for this issue.
Dominic expressed his belief that May is only coming out with this controversial statement now, at such a crucial time of the Election, in order to gain further support from those in favor of the sport. “May is playing with wildlife for dirty votes, it’s a disgrace”, he said.
A minute silence was held, in respect of the lives lost in the terrorism attack in Manchester, which had happened only several days before this event. It was emphasized how the public should not be dictated by these terrorists and shy away from coming together in mass.
The crowd was told that the terrorism level was no longer ‘critical’, instead being brought down to ‘severe’, which would have been a questionably reassuring statement to hear. However the extensive police force presence offered perhaps some kind of comfort, at least.
Spirits were lifted as famous TV presenter, Bill Oddie, who holds strong views against fox hunting, made an appearance.
“Nothing appalls me on so many levels as much as fox hunting does.
The ritualization of the sport makes it all the worse. They turn up in their red coats, red for blood, kill innocent foxes and have a brandy after. They are a band of nasty people”, he said.
​
Famous activist, Ed Winters, was also at the march, saying that “if a government is in charge by someone who is in favor of killing vulnerable animals for fun, then how can they be expected to care for those vulnerable members of society”.
This was an attitude held by many of the protesters, who believe that the way we treat animals is an indication of how we treat human beings too.
The march commenced at 1.30pm, proceeding along Oxford Street, Regents Street and around Trafalgar Square.
These parts of central London had been sectioned off to traffic and so the protesters literally took over the roads, at the astonishment to bystanders.
Relentless chanting, facilitated by megaphones, of messages such as “there’s no excuse for animal abuse”, and “cull the Tories, keep the ban”, were echoed by the crowd, making their message loud and clear along the way.
The march both dramatically and fittingly finished at Whitehall. It was here that the crowd, which had gained momentum along the way, looked all the more enormous, as they made their final stand for the cause, opposite Downing Street.
Due to the location, size of the crowd and the associated heightened terrorism threat, there was a significant police presence. They formed a lined barrier between the protesters and the road next to them, of which the gates to Downing Street were the other side of.
With countless policemen, police motorbikes and riot vans, as well as the thousands of protesters, it was an exciting, if not also frightening, scene to be part of.
Further speeches were made, which received cheers and “boos” in supported outrage.
One of which was made by famous actor, Peter Egan, who was praising the previous Labor government that brought in the Hunting Ban in 2004.
Despite placards with statements such as “f**k May, back the ban” and “Cull the Tories, not the foxes”, it was a relatively peaceful protest and one that, for the sake of their efforts, will hopefully make a lasting impact.
A recent YouGov poll revealed that 84% of the public were in favor of keeping the hunting ban as it stands.
However, in light of this protest, it is clear that even in face of a large majority, there is still fear that decisions can be made against them. Only time will tell.
​
If you, like these protesters are strongly against the ban being lifted you can sign a petition here :
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/keep_the_ban/?pv=60&rc=fb
By Annabel Wigginton
