On Boxing Day 1963 four people sabbed the South Devon hunt in what was the first official act of sabotage by the Hunt Saboteurs Association. On Saturday 18 January 2014, just over 50 years later, over 100 hunt saboteurs from across Southern England and Wales descended on Dartmoor National Park to sabotage the same hunt.
In the 50 years that we have been in existence there have been many changes, most notably the Criminal Justice Act, that aimed to make hunt sabotage illegal, and the hunting act which came into force in 2005, but the one thing that has not changed is that they still hunt wildlife and we still save it.
Saturday’s events were testament to that, as the South Devon illegally tried to hunt foxes only to be repeatedly stopped by the large numbers of saboteurs. Despite acts of aggression from the support, who rammed our vehicles with quad bikes, and the awful weather conditions, the saboteurs ensured a kill free day.
There was a large police presence but they took no interest in the illegal hunting or acts of aggression from the hunt. One officer’s reply to the question: “Are you here to prevent them from illegally hunting?” was: “No. Hunting is an issue for DEFRA, not the
police”.
With many new sab groups forming across the UK and the existing groups going from strength-to-strength, it’s a sure sign that the British public continue to feel more and more disillusioned with the cruel and illegal acts that are committed in our countryside.
As well as the events on Dartmoor there where hundreds of other saboteurs out across the UK doing what they do best – protecting the nation’s wildlife from persecution.