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On Saturday 5th Feb Hunt Saboteurs attended a meet of the Crawley and Horsham Fox Hunt At Wiston, near Ashington, West Sussex. This hunt is under police investigation after being caught on film after killing a fox.
The saboteurs were the subject of the usual threats and attacks by the hunt followers during the day, which included driving vehicles and horse at speed at people, and one attempt to break a vehicles window to attack the driver, which was caught on video and is now the subject of a police investigation.
At around 2.30 the hunt was found with the huntsman on foot encouraging the hounds onto a fox, in clear breach of the Hunting Act. Saboteurs intervened in the field leaving a small number filming the events from the road. Those left on the road were the subject of attacks by officials of the hunt and foot followers, culminating in a vicious attack on one Hunt Saboteur by a mounted rider and four hunt supporters, who was hit repeatedly around the head and a horse was ridden into him. The police in attendance responded by pepper spraying all involved in the fray regardless of guilt or innocence.
Video footage was seized by police from both parties and an investigation is underway.
Lee Moon, spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association said: Hunts feel they can break the law with impunity and when we try to intervene we are violently attacked. The Crawley and Horsham hunt are already being investigated for killing a fox and it is time the police stepped in and stopped this blatant law breaking rather than us having to do their job for them.
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