Category: The Frontlines

Read below an anonymously sent report back of the counter demonstration against Britain First national march and the writer’s thoughts on antifascism organising in the UK.

“BRITAIN FIRST’S NATIONAL MARCH AND RALLY: THEY FLOPPED, BUT WE NEED TO DO A LOT MORE WORK.

Britain First made no secret of their planned march and rally for St David’s day in Nuneaton. They got council approval to set up a large stage with expensive screen and sound equipment in the ironically named ‘justice centre’ car park. They hired security, Paul Golding begged everyone he could to attend and claimed 10k was spent on the event.

However, I’m sad to say that while there were many ‘Stand up to Racism’ aka ‘Socialist Workers Party’ placards, as to be expected, quite a few communist flags and a Palestinian flag, there wasn’t a single antifascist flag flown…

Trying to get antifascist groups, even the local ones, to attend a fascist event has been like pulling teeth. And while we share the same critiques of SUTR/SWP: they are transphobic, they are misogynistic, there has been a number of fucked up insistences involving them and they insist on not only cooperating with filth like absolute wet wipes but also their stewards will kettle the crowd before the police even start positioning themselves. But a SUTR presence is not an excuse to not oppose fascists. If anything, it makes the need for other groups attendance even greater.

You cannot leave a void that STUR fills and then complain they are occupying all the space.

Only a couple hundred pink-faced nationalists turned up to Nuneaton railway station, where the meet point was. Way too few to carry the thousand union jack and England flags that had been purchased for the event. The much bragged-about coaches from around the country turned out to be mostly empty minibuses. And the march that was due to start at 12 didn’t end up starting till almost 1pm. At that point, despite multiple pleas and warnings given to the crowd by the few antifascists present that they were positioned huddled to the side and would get kettled if they didn’t spread out, the stewards kept everyone in line and trapped. So as predicted, the counter protest was completely kettled by police and their vans while only a dozen antifascists went up against the line of police protecting Britain First as they marched down the street. The police were quick to use violence on the only actual resistance to the march. Vastly outnumbered by cops after awhile antifascists were pushed and dragged away by police who couldn’t hide their excitement at getting to use force. When about 10 antifascists had been pushed to the side to allow the BF march to go past, they ran down a side street in order to cut across and get back in front of the march. A gang of police took chase, pulled out their batons, and started threatening with breach of the peace and section 3. A few of them looked about ready to cum in their pants as they excitedly brandished their little metal rods. The kind of confidence you only see in the filth when they outnumber you and know it.

All this time the SUTR crowd remained in their self-imposed prison doing nothing by the train station, and it wasn’t until BF was safely at their destination and starting the rally that they moved on and did some drum banging from a safe distance.

If there had been an actual turnout of even just a few dozen more antifascists, we could have stopped that rally from taking place. We could have held their march at the train station till they were forced to go home. As has happened in the past. Instead, folks are too busy sitting in armchairs and complaining about how other groups do it badly to actually get to the streets and do it better. We need a presence, we need to recruit, and we need to teach crowds how to keep each other safe.

Just because we’ve got bigger and newer contenders to deal with, like Reform and Patriotic Alternative, that doesn’t mean that the pathetic BF aren’t capable of digging themselves out of the grave. And marches calling for “remigration”, stoking up racist and unfounded fears of a “demographic replacement” should always be opposed no matter how laughable we expect the turn out to be. If history and current events have taught us anything its how fast the political landscape can change and how vulnerable we make ourselves when we don’t organise and resist. And don’t mistake this failure of an event as a sign we don’t need to worry. The far right are organising and as we’ve seen with Reform they are gaining public support as well as opposition.

If you call yourself antifascist then you need to start asking yourself some questions. Where are you when the fascists are organising? Where are you when the fascists are marching? Where are you when they hold their rallies? Paul Golding claimed they have another event in the works, set to take place in Birmingham. So keep your eyes peeled and get your mates together.

Antifascist is not a label you give yourself because you say so. You’re antifascist when you oppose fascism. It requires action. “

[editor’s note, directed at the anonymous senders: Thanks for the submission, keep them coming as often as you wish. Be gay and burn the deathmachine which surrounds you <3 ]

“Sündi is getting cut down, another woodland which capitalism must displace to try and satisfy its insatiable hunger for growth.

Since the 70s, the neighbouring Hambi was already getting logged, until this was halted in 2018. Without the occupation of the Hambacher Forest and the multiform resistance against the evictions, the whole of the Hambi would have been devoured by the mine. Sündi was once part of Hambi, but is now a remaining island of green surrounded by the industrial developments of the Rheinland. In part, this woodland is getting cut so that a yacht harbour can be built in its place, and the gravel which gets removed from the ground, used to construct a beach for tourists.

Contrary to what we expected there was no eviction per se. Instead RWE, who choose to handle the situation themselves – operating as a state within a state, showcasing the power corporations hold and the free reign they are given – went ahead and started clear cutting.

RWE has recruited a private army of security-workers to enable this onslaught, the leaders of which are almost all Nazis or fascist Grey Wolves. Committed to their work-obligations and driven by pure hate against those who think otherwise, these foolish lackeys of the mega-corporations have been driven to destroy their own landbase. This mess is a further indication of the resurgence of facsism in Germany. Let it be a wakeup call for all anti-fascists, that RWE is a harbinger of the nationalistic cancer!

These professional murderers have, with their usual brutality, already crushed most of the Sündi. We watched as tree harvesters and chainsaw teams decimated the majority of the forest in the span of three days. Ground structures were destroyed and at times access to the Sündenwald was completely cut off, with people trying to approach getting attacked and forcibly removed. Trees were being felled whilst forest-defenders were up in structures and traverses protecting what they could. Meanwhile wild animals attempted to flee what was once their home. Even a tree harvester of the company Kettwiger Baumdienst* was decorated with printed insults against the forest-defenders, for example “treekiller 2000” and an image of someone pissing on the Sündenwäldchen. (And this, by a company – who were at the forefront of the ecocide – who drive green trucks with “renewable enegry” written big on the side). Since then, heavy machinery has been used daily here (guarded, since they found out the hard way that this was the only way they could operate) in order to clear the now dead trees, turning what once as an active ecosystem into wood chips on the spot.

People didn’t give up the woodland without a fight and defended it the best they could. Trees were spiked, pumping stations and electricity boxes were sabotaged using a diversity of methods and security were greeted by flaming barricades. The occupation is still standing but the threat of eviction still remains! We are determined to keep what we still have, and fight RWE for every metre of soil they intend to reduce to oblivion. The threat of eviction still remains.

At the same time we feel the need to talk about certain things that have trouble us this far like the coexisted with politicians and NGOs, the use of mainstream media and the notion that the presence of the police might have protected us in this situation (which is especially troubling, as it erases the countless people who have experienced and continue to experience police violence, both within forest occupations and outside of them). All of the above institutions serve as tools of control and coercion that render our strugles toothless, and at worst endanger us and those around us. Alas we understand the need to remain in solidarity with struggles such as this, even if we find ourselves at odds with some of the choices made.

We can’t afford to make any more friendly requests; only open conflict against ecocide and fascism has a chance of success. If we want to survive, if we want nature to live again, then we need to attack with all means the leviathan of “progress” and finally destroy it. Attempting to plunder what natural resources remain, capitalistic progress is leading us to fascism and perpetual war. We call on you, wherever you are, to be in solidarity with the fight against the death grip of RWE. This fight is about so much more than a few trees or a woodland; we fight against the biggest extinction event, since the end of the dinosaurs.

Coordinate yourselves and attack their machines, their underlings and infrastructure. Be gay and burn the deathmachine which surrounds you, unleashing your animalistic vitality. In these cold times, let’s warm ourselves on the fires of our resistance. Defend the forests and the fields, the moors and the marshes, the shores and the mountains. These are the last remaining bastions of hope for life. The assholes complicit in killing the sundi have names and addresses…

P. Meurer – Kaulhausen 57, 41812 Erkenz
also:
Kettwiger Baumdienst – August-Thyssen-Straße 53, 45219 Essen
Forstbetried Corres- Heesweg 16, 41849 Wassenberg
Forst Schauff – Franz-Josef Schauf Widdiger Straße 6, 50389 Wesseling
Beyer Mietservice – Gewerbepark Rother Straße 1, 57539 Roth – Heckenhof

p.s we hate you more than you hate us

some creatures from the Hambacher forest”

[Image credit: @suffolkandessexhuntsabs] 

January is a harsh month. With the festive period over, combined with passing a mid-point in the hunting season, this month feels long and bleak. The especially cold weather at the beginning did see many hunts cancelling but hunting continued throughout the month as per, often in the presence of hunt sabs. As usual, we cannot cover everything but here are some highlights. 

Devon County Hunt Sabs had a difficult start to the month. They experienced two separate kills by the Eggesford Hunt in the first week of the year, just days apart from each other. Despite their best efforts, hounds killed a Roe Deer on the 1^st January and then a Fox on the 4^th. As upsetting as this is, the group continued undeterred and kept pressure on multiple hunts throughout the month with good success. 

How a hunt responds to presence of sabs varies of course. At their first Saturday meet of the year, the Grove and Rufford Hunt packed up almost immediately after attempting to hunt on foot, meaning a quick victory for Sheffield Hunt Sabs and local wildlife. It could be argued that this response is reflective of the morale of this hunt, who have been the targeted consistently for some time. With the job of huntsman being advertised online, it certainly seems that things aren’t going for the hunt.  

Likewise, this was also seen in the deflated hare hunting pack De Burgh and North Essex Bassets who quickly packed up after being apprehended by Suffolk & Essex Hunt Sabs on two separate occasions. Though the sab group were forced to take action when hounds were caught chasing a hare, the hunt had no choice but to give up. Foot packs such as Bassets and Beagles are particularly vulnerable; hare hunting has less supportive infrastructure (they are advised by their governing body to pack up if saboteurs turn up), barely get any foot supporters (which means less money and less morale) and attempt to maintain a low profile (making logistics even more difficult). And if the success of this dedicated campaign against this hunt continues, as seen throughout this hunting season, it is not what a question of if they disband, but when.   

Though they are vulnerable, it doesn’t mean they are any less capable. Northants Hunt Sabs received and published footage showing the Pipewell Foot Beagles killing a Hare, captured by a member of the public. According to the sab group, this hunt has been caught out multiple times throughout the season and are under police investigation. Though the outcome of this is yet to be seen, and the realistic impact and purpose of the authorities be rightly criticised, this undoubtably puts at least some pressure on the hunt. And every layer of pressure counts and can build up to something.  

One element of pressure that can be applied is exposure. Due to the logistics of sabotaging a hunt, it is not always possible to fully intervene. This is especially true with terriermen, who can disappear quickly for periods of time and get up to something dodgy. However there can still be an opportunity to keep an eye on them, as seen by sabs from Kent who used a drone to locate and record terriermen netting and bagging a fox during a meet of the Kent Hounds. This evidence is extremely important in destroying the false rhetoric that hunting relies on to try and maintain a specific image. The bagging of a fox is a grim standard practice within the world of fox hunting, which gives them the opportunity for a guaranteed kill if the hounds are struggling to locate a fox themselves. Together with footage published by South Thames Hunt Sabs from that same day, showing hounds in cry in dense woodland and digging at the entrance of a badger sett, paints a clear picture of what hunting really involves.  

Similarly, Northants Hunt Sabs caught terriermen getting ready to flush out a fox from a badger sett during a meet of the Cottesmore. They tactically placed themselves so they could gather the evidence, while remaining on hand to intervene if needed. In a post on social media, the group claimed that they took this decision as ‘showing exactly what happens when they think no one is looking is to drive a stake through the vampiric heart of the bloody Cottesmore’. Other evidence of digging out was also published by Cheshire Monitors which is believed to resulted in the killing a vixen, carried out during a meet of the Llansannan foot pack.  

Cheshire Monitors are another good example of a group who are concentrating their efforts into a specific hunt. Throughout the month they have continued to maintain a presence at the Wynnstay Hunt, who have hired ‘security’. Regardless, they have been able to take action and expose the hunt them, including trespassing and killing two foxes on separate occasions (one of which was thrown onto an A road by terriermen). However, in a reflective social media post, they claim that they have had an impact against them over time due which is seen in how the numbers of mounted supporters have decreased by half. Some may see this as minor but it is important to note that this means that their main regular income stream has been cut in half. And hitting the hunts pocket will always make them more vulnerable in the long-term. Some victories (like a hunt disbanding) can’t always happen overnight, but are ultimately still important to pursue. Reaffirming their efforts, they also published nice trail camera footage of two foxes which have been previously targeted by the hunt.  

Hertfordshire Hunt Sabs have once again exposed the Newnham Estate, dubbed ‘the plant farm’, which is the site of this year’s Vegan Camp Out festival. Earlier in the month, the sab group found two shooting pigeons on the estate but eventually packed up when they realised they could no longer continue. Around two weeks later, the estate was revisited and discovered a large shoot which was enough to require three gun buses. This estate has been exposed on multiple occasions for its direct use of hunting and shooting and isn’t the first time Vegan Camp Out have used a ‘venue’ that has this connection. For context, the organisers have previously banned hunt sabs from attending the event and have had the audacity to not only gaslight those exposing wildlife persecution and murder but also portraying it as something that should be accepted if people want an event to take place (as ‘all’ venues in the countryside are bad in one way or another) – a defeatist and untrue statement. The phrase ‘we don’t live in a perfect world’ continues to be thrown around and, though that there is large truth to that, it doesn’t mean we should not fight for it to be better.  

Many things can be said, but we will keep it simple as we have better things to focus our attention on. If you want to support a business-orientated event (that hosts some extremely problematic speakers) so you have a nice time eating expensive vegan food and dance (on the graves of innocent wildlife) and accept this defeatist idea that there is ‘no alternative’, then go to Vegan Camp Out. But if you believe real obtainable goals can be achieved in the animal liberation struggle, making the ultimate difference to animals both in captivity and in the wild, see the results of our collective efforts and can create alternative you want to see, then Vegan Camp Out isn’t for you. Perhaps EarthFirst! gatherings, animal rights and liberation conferences and other grassroots events are more fitting. 

Any information about hunts or shoots, wildlife killing fundraisers, the location of traps, tools and infrastructure used to kill and anything dodgy or suspicious relating to the interference or ill-treatment of wildlife should be reported to your local hunt sabotage group. Unsure of your local group? Contact the Hunt Saboteurs Association’s tip-off line at 07443148426 or via social media. The smallest bit of information could make the biggest different to wildlife life.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD 

On the second of January, this year’s wolf hunt started in so-called Sweden. This year, 30 wolves where planned to be killed, in five different hunting areas, in just over a month. Close to 4,000 hunters had registered their interest in participating in the vile killings, of which roughly 300 of these were foreign trophy hunters.

Before the hunt, there were many who criticized the wolf hunt, of among other things because politicians and hunters in Sweden are risking to wipe out all of the wolfs in the long run, when they kill so many, and have set the goal that as few wolves should be allowed to remain.

This year, only Hunt Saboteurs Sweden (HSS), of all the anti-hunting organizations in Sweden, conducted active resistance in the forests against wolf hunt. HSS believes that the government and the hunters over time intends to kill all wolves in Sweden. Based on this extreme context, HSS adapts its methods, and carries out radical actions during the wolf hunt, that sabotages the hunt, with the aim of saving the lives of wolves. At the same time HSS also wants to instill fear in individual hunters, so that they refrain from hunting in the future (which in the long run can also save wolves). Before the hunt, HSS had received massive support from individuals and groups, several international, through a fundraiser to collect money for cars and petrol.

Before the hunt, HSS had explored both different hunting areas, as well as which hunters would participate in the hunt. Once the hunt started, HSS were well prepared, and they had several groups of activists stationed around in different hunting areas in Sweden. In several places, the hunters were found before the hunt started at sunrise, and HSS were able to disrupt the hunt immediately as planned.

For example, in Salungen, Värmland, where several groups of hunt saboteurs drove around the forests and disturbed the hunt, scaring hunters. Of course, the hunters called the cops, and the police then had to spend all their time trying to keep tabs on the activists. Something that the cops didn’t do very well. Because HSS confused the cops, so that the police followed one and the same car with activists all the time. In this way, the remaining activists could continue to sabotage the wolf hunt in Salungen.

Unfortunately, it is common for the hunters to kill many wolves in the first few days of the hunt. This was also the case this time. In most hunting areas several wolves were killed during the first day. However, only one wolf was killed in Salungen, where the hunters neither could find the remaining five wolves, nor hide their frustration at not being able to vent their bloodlust. Hunt leader Anders Olsson spoke critically about this in the media, whose reasoning boils down to the fact that hunters must be given the opportunity to kill an unlimited number of wolves, instead of the limited allocation they currently receive through the state today. HSS, in turn, believes that the five other wolves that were planned to die in Salungen had probably already been killed by the hunters in advance, through poaching. HSS went out in the media and criticized the formal structure for how hunting is decided in Sweden, that it is undemocratic (since it is primarily hunters who have power, influence over how hunting is done). HSS also did a home demonstration at the house of hunt leader Anders Olsson. The result was not long in coming. The national radio in Sweden retracted the statement it had previously allowed HSS to make, accused HSS of spreading lies, and the Swedish minister responsible for hunting issues advocated stricter laws against hunt sabotage. However, none of this stopped HSS’s actions against the wolf hunt, which was going on in the forests at the same time.

Roughly a week after the wolf hunt started in Sweden, 23 wolves have been killed. In Salungen, the hunt has now been called off, as they did not find the five other wolves that they wanted to kill.

Unfortunately, not unlikely, the remaining two wolves will be killed, and the whole wolf hunt will end shortly. Positive, however, is that some wolves seems to have survived, escaped, like the alpha couple in Örebro.

HSS officially ended its actions on Saturday 11/1. HSS says that they are satisfied with their actions, that they were able to disrupt hunts and scare hunters as planned. Nevertheless, HSS mourns all wolves murdered by the hunters during the hunt.

HSS is now withdrawing, for evaluation and reflection on this year’s hunt sabotage. For example, they have had several new activists with them this year, in new areas, which has been very positive. This bodes well for future hunt sabotage. HSS will never allow hunters to freely kill innocent individuals in the forests.

NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL ALL ARE FREE

[Image credit: @suffolkandessexhuntsabs] 

December is the busiest time in the fox and hare hunting calendar. In the run up to Christmas and until the festive break finishes in the new year, hunts can easily bump their numbers up in the form of foot followers and mounted riders. The latter is arguably more important to them as they pay to participate and securing this income stream is vital for the longevity of the hunt. The increased numbers also boost morale and often results is more boisterous, arrogant and, where they see fit, violent behaviour. Saboteurs and the wider anti-hunting community also rally together in bigger numbers and are more active during this period, which has had a mixture of results with far too many reports to include. But here are some highlights. 

The tyres of Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs were found slashed one morning before heading out but were still able to get a team out to the Grove and Rufford Hunt thanks to the assistance of Nottingham Hunt Saboteurs. Frustration got the better of one member of the hunt who stole equipment and, when confronted, headbutted a member of the team, but finished the day without a kill.  

South Thames Hunt Saboteurs seemingly received the worst of the violence after they were attacked by the Hursley Hambledon Hunt after their attempts to hunt and kill a fox were ruined. According to their reports, a team of 3 were set upon by 9 and resulted in one of their team needing medical attention due to a serious head wound, while another came away with a swollen face and black eye. A camera and mobile phone were also stolen. Though it was a traumatic experience, they later published their appreciation for the ‘overwhelming’ support they had received since publishing what had happened, as well as starting an online fundraiser. They initially wanted to raise £320 to replace the stolen equipment and to purchase a quality first aid kit but had reached £8000, which they state will be used to buy a vehicle for their new group. In a final update, they announced they were no longer accepting donations and strongly encouraged generosity to continue elsewhere, suggesting foodbanks, other sabotage groups and etc, but specifically highlighted the support needed for Happy Pants Ranch. The sabotage group concluded; ‘we make our intentions clear and known; we will not stop until hunting is finished. It is what the community wants and it is what wildlife deserves.’ 

It is widely believed that the behaviour of the Hursley Hambledon Hunt was also due to being caught killing a deer the week before, as seen by South Hampshire Hunt Saboteurs and has prompted attention by the police. South Wales Hunt Saboteurs also reported a fox had been killed by the Sennybridge Farmers and it was sudden. Another deer was also killed after they were quickly and unexpectedly mauled by hounds of the Thurlow Hunt despite the efforts of multiple sabotage groups present. Suffolk and Essex Hunt Saboteurs also reported that a deer was found dead in a woodland with fresh injuries after hounds of the Essex and Suffolk Hunt left. These are all examples that reaffirm the difficulty of sabotaging a hunt as well as how quickly it can escalate and how against the odds it can be for wildlife. The reality is that not all wildlife can escape this fate because of the presence of saboteurs. However, without them, many more would be condemned to death.  

The vast majority of sabotage groups, if not all, were active on Boxing Day, which is the biggest day in the hunting calendar. Despite the challenges this comes with, as mentioned before, efforts against hunting were largely successful. Some were even reduced to stick to trail hunting; salt in the wound for those bitter about the changing landscape of hunting in recent years. Some violence was reported, including Brighton Hunt Saboteurs who were ridden at and whipped, as well as the Wight Hunt Saboteurs who were also ridden at and assaulted by a hunt supporter. Seemingly, levels of violence and aggression were relatively tame in comparison to previous years, though the usual pushing-and-shoving continued – especially during the parading of hounds where saboteurs and protesters continued to maintain a presence. Protesting the boxing day hunt has been a regular tactic for decades and usually attracts media attention and gives an opportunity for members of the public to show their disgust the ongoing persecution of wildlife. Specifically, pressure continued to be mounted on the hunts who are subject to dedicated campaigns against them, including Mendip Farmers Hunt, Cottesmore Hunt and Kent Hounds, though protests and sabotage against hunts was seen all across the UK with too many to mention. Though fox hunting is largely the focus of the day, hare hunting was also targeted, as seen by North Down Hunt Saboteurs who packed up Christchurch and Farley Hill Beagles as well as the Lake District Hunt Saboteurs who foiled the plans of the Black Combe Beagles. Cheshire Monitors also packed up the Cheshire Beagles who were caught hunting an exhausted Hare.  

Other hare hunting packs have also been paid attention throughout December. The De Burgh and North Essex Hare Hounds, who have been successfully targeted a number of times in November, have continued to be stopped throughout this month by Suffolk and Essex Hunt Saboteurs, along with neighbouring groups. The Hunley Beagles were also visited by the East Yorkshire Coast Hunt Saboteurs, who quickly packed up on the arrival of opposition. Likewise, Severn Vale Hunt Saboteurs foiled the Severn Vale Beagles. But it didn’t stop there. Hare hunters were foiled right until the end of the month, as seen by Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs who packed up the Royal Agricultural College Beagles on the 30^th and a joint meet of the Radley College Beagles and the New Forest Beagles on the 31^st, sabotaged by a number of groups. 

It is worth noting that hare-hunting foot packs are especially vulnerable to sabotage as they have a diminishing support network, made worse by a lack of a reliable income stream and is generally seen as more controversial than fox hunting. It is believed that the guidance given to these packs by their governing body is to cease their activity and leave on the arrival of saboteurs. And that is exactly what they do. Therefore, simply turning up is enough to stop them.

The festive period is seen as a middle point for the fox and hare hunting season. As the vast majority of sabotage groups have remained consistently active for months (not including cub and leveret hunting), it is understandable that some are feeling tired. Messages of support, donations and purchases of merchandise go a long way in showing appreciation for what they do. 

Any information about hunts or shoots, wildlife killing fundraisers, the location of traps, tools and infrastructure used to kill and anything dodgy or suspicious relating to the interference or ill-treatment of wildlife should be reported to your local hunt sabotage group. Unsure of your local group? Contact the Hunt Saboteurs Association’s tip-off line at 07443148426 or via social media. The smallest bit of information could make the biggest different to wildlife life.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD 

[Image credit: @mendiphuntsabs] 

Fox and Hare hunting season are in full swing. With every hunt sabotage group and monitor group active in some capacity, some being out multiple times a week, there are by far too many reports and hit reports to include here. However, here’s some things we want to mention.  

The first Saturday of the month saw Glasgow Hunt Sabs visit two separate hunts on the same day. They first started with The Border Hunt, who travelled into Scotland for the day, and were limited to hunting with two hounds due to legal restrictions, and followed by the Jed Forest hunt with no kills reported.  Likewise, saboteurs from Bristol, Bath and Wiltshire kept the pressure on the Tedworth Hunt until they packed up, and moved on to the Beaufort Hunt. No kills were also reported.

A member of Mendip Hunt Sabs was beaten up and had equipment stolen whilst with the Mendip Hunt who were digging out a fox who had taken refuge underground in a badger sett.  They reported that the victim was taken to A&E due to concerning swelling around their temple, but was later confirmed to not have sustained any permanent damage. However, the health care professionals stressed that the saboteur was lucky. Despite the attack, the presence of the saboteurs prevented the dig-out and later saw the hunted fox leave to live another day. 

Dangerous behaviour was also seen, reported by North London Hunt Sabs, at a meet of the Puckeridge with Essex Union where one hunt supporter wielded a knife. Also, a pumpkin was thrown at their vehicle whilst in motion, which could’ve easily caused a crass or went through their windscreen, and some mounted hunt supporters attempted to charge and whip people. Regardless, the sab group managed to get on with disrupting the hunt and was also able to dedicate a team to De Burgh & North Essex Bassets along with neighbouring sabotage groups after receiving a tip-off. This hare hunting pack have historically been difficult to track down but were intercepted three times within November.  

Glasgow Hunt Sabs, following their success the previous week, reported that the Jed Forest Hunt had killed a fox in front of saboteurs who were present. Despite the change in legislation in Scotland, putting further limits and conditions on hunting, wild animals will suffer and be killed. In a social media post, the sab group reaffirmed their determination to continue by stating ‘we will not stop until there is an all out ban on fox hunting’.  

Wiltshire Hunt Sabs also experienced a kill whist sabbing the Beaufort Hunt, which was documented using a drone. Knowing how damning this evidence is, the hunt responded by using their own drone to force the sab groups out of the sky. Though they were able to keep the footage, their drone was stolen. Hunting continued following the kill but the sab group confirmed that they were successful in stopping any further kills from taking place. Drones have become an important part of hunt sabotage as well as monitoring and has time and again provided evidence no one can argue with, as seen by West Midlands Hunt Sabs recent published footage of the Dummer Beagles hunting a hare. 

Situations like the ones described above are unpleasant and stressful to say the least. So messages of support are greatly appreciated. It is also worth noting that saboteurs should not have to have to experience violence, traumatic experiences and other difficult situations to prompt support, so we would encourage people to reach out to their local group or elsewhere to thank them for what they do. Donations also help to go a long way!

Any information about hunts or shoots, wildlife killing fundraisers, the location of traps, tools and infrastructure used to kill and anything dodgy or suspicious relating to the interference or ill-treatment of wildlife should be reported to your local hunt sabotage group. Unsure of your local group? Contact the Hunt Saboteurs Association’s tip-off line at 07443148426 or via social media. The smallest bit of information could make the biggest different to wildlife life.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD 

[Image credit: @thegreatunwashed_] 

Similar to September, October has been an intense month. Fox hunts continued to relentlessly hunt fox cubs as well as the government sanctioned culling of badgers.  

For some, action against the badger cull didn’t stop. Underground Badger Syndicate and The Great Unwashed have both been successful in finding and dealing with cages, though have each stated the exhaustion of the search and the reality of what the wildlife is up against. In one post, UBS put it bluntly by saying that there is so much ‘death and destruction’ and that setts ‘targeted for years are starting to fade’. Likewise, TGU referred to the ongoing situation as ‘bleak’ and asks the question on many minds; ‘when the fuck will it end’?  

Well, it would appear the answer is not with the new Labour government, as Natural England, a public body connected to the UK Governments’ Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (who are responsible for the cull) finally published the redacted licenses that detail the minimum and maximum quotas for each zone and confirmed a new zone was authorised in Cumbria. Adding them together, over 10,000 could be murdered. 

It must be said though that it is widely believed that the cull has given a green light for the illegal persecution of badgers and culling in itself is very loosely regulated – the true extent of badger suffering and murder can only be speculated but could be much worse.  

Despite this, action continued to be taken (and will continue in the supplementary zones) throughout October. In addition to the above mentioned, Liverpool Hunt Saboteurs, Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs, Derbyshire Against the Cull and Cornwall Against The Badger Culls have noticeably been the most active and seen to be sending free shooters away and removing bait points. Derbyshire Against the Cull is uploaded an appreciation post which thanked their supporters for messages of support and confirmed how important this helped to keep them going. Messages such as this, whether it is aimed at a badger group, hunt sabotage group or a lone individual taking action can make a huge difference is strongly encouraged by us.  

A standard cull license is 6 weeks long which would normally finish in mid-October, though many often get extensions. This was the case this year with a number of zones being granted extra time to kill, later confirmed to have been finished by the end of October.  

The hunting of fox cubs, for the purpose of training new hounds and dispersing foxes ahead of the main hunting season, has been ongoing since the start of September. It is a relentless period where fox hunts go out up to 5 times a week, giving little chance for young wildlife. It is by far the most controversial part of hunting and is a PR-nightmare for the image of ‘trail hunting’ that they attempt to portray. Because of this, the presence of saboteurs can be enough to spoil their efforts, as seen by Kent Hunt who decided to not attend their own meet after they were apprehended by Kent Hunt Saboteurs. Similarly, the West Sussex Hunt Saboteurs forced the Chiddingford Leconfield & Cowdray Hunt to pack up and leave 45 minutes after unboxing the hounds, which they claim may be their quickest sab.  

Some groups have also been able to shut down multiple hunts in a single day. Northants Hunt Saboteurs, after packing up the notorious Cottesmore Hunt, then received a tip off and proceeded to also pack up the Pipewell Foot Beagles. In a hit report, they concluded ‘this is what we are set out to do’.  

Not all interactions with a hunt can be successful though. It is worth remembering that the odds are often against hunted and skill of saboteurs can sometimes only assist them so much. Despite their efforts, a fox was killed at the opening meet of the Seavington Hunt, who were clearly worried that they had been caught on camera after they attempted to conceal and dispose of the body. In the published video, it is clear that hunt staff, rather than celebrate their intended result, panic. Saboteurs cannot stop all kills, but can certainly make the huntsman’s (and all who are participating) experience as terrible as possible and not letting them have a good time.  

Other opening meets (the first hunt of the main season) for other hunts across the country took place at the end of October, some of which were during the week rather than a Saturday – showing a clear attempt to avoid saboteurs during a significant day for them. Again, saboteurs can’t always be present but this is a clear example of how sabotage has altered their movements. Having an opening meet on a week day does in fact have an effect on their attendance of supporters, which is a factor in their income stream. And like many other campaigns, if you keep hitting their pocket, things start to change and can result in them crumbling altogether.  

One specific hunt who’ve had a terrible time is the Eastern Counties Mink Hounds. While most mink and otter hunting packs have finished for the year, this particular hunt felt they’d try one last meet. Also unlike others, they seemingly only go out once a month which makes them an appropriate target for a campaign. It is believed that they have only been able to hunt without the presence of saboteurs once this year, and every time they’ve had company they have had no choice but to give up. On this occasion, South of Norfolk Hunt Saboteurs, along with Suffolk and Essex Hunt Saboteurs, arrived to wish the hunts master an unhappy birthday after they were caught shoulder-deep in water, hunting. A stand-off ensued, with a heated confrontation, but this is seen as a reflection of the success of stopping them multiple times throughout the season. And sure enough, they were forced to give up once again.  

Any information about wildlife killing fundraisers, hunting, the location of traps, tools and infrastructure used to kill and anything dodgy or suspicious relating to the interference or ill-treatment of wildlife should be reported to your local hunt sabotage group. Unsure of your local group? Contact the Hunt Saboteurs Association’s tip-off line at 07443148426 or via social media. The smallest bit of information could make the biggest different to wildlife life.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD 

[Image credit: @undergroundbadgersyndicate] 

September is a busy time of year for those fighting for wildlife, with the beginning of the intensive badger cull, the peak of fox cub and hare leveret hunting, stag hunting and ongoing trap-smashing.  

Natural England, a public body connected to the UK Governments’ Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (who are responsible for the cull) have yet to publish their annual badger ‘control’ authorisation documents, which confirms culling operations, but this is expected as these documents are getting published later and later each year. It is speculated that they would rather not draw attention to it, as the minimum and maximum targets (how many badgers may get killed) is controversial to many. Also, it is likely that a new zone will be included in Cumbria following the publishing of a consultation document, which would confirm that the new Labour party government aren’t actually intending of reducing the cull, let alone stopping it. Regardless, existing cull zones were almost guaranteed to continue and was soon confirmed by the discovery of bait points, free shooters and badger cages. Though culling continues, so does action against it. Devon County Hunt Sabs, as one example, have been busy checking known vulnerable setts and have been successful in finding ‘metal contraptions’ as well as sending shooters on their way. Likewise, Liverpool Hunt Sabs have intercepted free shooters multiple times and removed bait points, while Cheshire Against the Cull also successfully foiled plans to murder badgers. Cage traps have also been ruined by Cornwall Against the Culls, The Great Unwashed and Underground Badger Syndicate. Action against the cull can feel relentless and difficult to evaluate the impact but Derbyshire Against the Cull, who have also been consistently successful at stopping free shooters, published an important message after they gathered evidence of life at a sett that has been targeted since 2020; ‘then you see this on the trail camera and realise that every cold, wet, tired minute spent there was absolutely worth it’. Sheffield Hunt Sabs have also been busy with the cull, and also got in trouble with the cops for “stealing badger setts”, whatever that means.

Various traps have also been stamped out of action by Underground Badger Syndicate and The Great Unwashed, some of which during the cull; reaffirming the importance of surveying. The largest collection of traps was published at the start of the month and featured an array of mammal traps of various sizes and shapes, which have since been reshaped and no longer useable.  

Saboteurs from Mendip and Dorset have continued their efforts against stag hunting. Not many packs of stag hounds exist but their impact is consistently brutal, with the odds being largely against the hunted animal as they have to also contend with many bloodthirsty supporters who go to great lengths to making sure there is no escape. It was reported that an exhausted stag was killed, following a long chase, though others were able to escape. Though any kill is tragic, it is important to remember that it is in recent history that stag hunts were largely untouchable due to the serious violence inflicted on saboteurs and monitors. It is true that this continues to be a risk, they have been faced with a refreshed determination of saboteurs who are putting them under pressure, which is working. Without these efforts, many more stags would have undoubtably been killed, as proven by hit reports throughout the last few years. 

September is the peak period of cub-hunting; beginning in August and runs until the main hunting season begins in October. Fox hunts have been relentless at their attempts to kill young foxes during this ‘training’ period. However, saboteurs in every direction have been doing their upmost to stop this as much as possible, both at dawn and dusk. This form of hunting is extremely damning to the image they badly attempt to maintain, considering the nature of how it works; where hounds are set against vulnerable young foxes who have little chance of escaping. During this most controversial period in the hunting calendar, the governing bodies of hunting attempted a ‘national trail hunting day’, which they hoped would gain the media attention it desperately needs to obtain any credibility in their lies. This failed miserably. Arguably, it was a terrible time to attempt such a PR event, considering the consistent brutality carried out throughout the month. Their failure is very much welcome though!

The PR-nightmare that is cub-hunting is also applicable to hare-hunting beagle and basset packs, who have also been taken out to train against leverets. Hare hunting in itself is more controversial to the public than fox hunting, especially so when hunting young hares. It is commonplace for these hunts to pack up quickly on the arrival of sabs, which is exactly what happened when the Downland Beagles were caught attempting to hunt during a main season meet at the end of the month by saboteurs from Kent, Brighton, South Coast and South Thames.  

On the same day, the Thurlow Hunt were foiled by North London Hunt Sabs together with East Northants Hunt Sabs. During the cub-hunt meet, hounds chased a fox to an artificial earth, which is a combination of pipes and chambers built underground used to encourage foxes to reside for the purposes of hunting. Saboteurs often record and document what happens during a hunt, and this is an example of why that it is important; to publish and expose the reality of hunting, counteracting their false rhetoric.  

An example of negative PR and mounting pressure was also seen in an arguably surprising development after it was reported that the Ministry of Defence have not granted any licenses for ‘trail hunting’, as seen in a published response from a freedom of information request which states that 11 hunts applied for licenses. This is a significant blow, especially for the Royal Artillery Hunt who spend the majority of their hunting season within MOD land. Whether the hunts abide by this or not is yet to be seen, as trespass is a regular occurrence. However, it’s a lose-lose situation; they either commit and jeopardize personal and professional relationships and bring more negative attention to themselves, with possible legal ramifications, or admit defeat and have less land to hunt. The tactic of limiting the area in which a hunt can operate is a sure step to making a hunt unworkable and is only a matter of time if it also coincides with a myriad of other tactics and approaches.

Any information about wildlife killing fundraisers, hunting, the location of traps, tools and infrastructure used to kill and anything dodgy or suspicious relating to the interference or ill-treatment of wildlife should be reported to your local hunt sabotage group. Unsure of your local group? Contact the Hunt Saboteurs Association’s tip-off line at 07443148426 or via social media. The smallest bit of information could make the biggest different to wildlife life.

NO LIFE LIKE THE WILD 

Its been six years since you were murdered fighting Daesh in Deir-ez-Zor.

Six years is a long time, and yet your memory is so incredibly tangible in every step we take. You taught so much to all who knew you; your curiosity, your capacity to listen, your genuine optimism.

I battle with the reasons to join the war in Rojava constantly, but I know your heart was strong and your intentions pure. I just wish I could’ve kept you back in Hambi, or in Pont Valley, away from machine guns and bombs. I wish I could carry on sharing life with you, vicariously enjoying new discoveries through your lens, plotting adventures and causing chaos.

We no longer can do those things together, but make no mistake there is not a single day that I dont stumble upon something I decide to look through Waka’s eyes.

You’re missed, and honoured through the fight, and absolutely never forgotten.

Love you always, friend.

May you rest in the rage of your comrades.

Waka, Farid, Şehîd Şahîn Qereçox.

For a little over three months, ‘MBR Suppliers’ has focused on plucking away any and all businesses that work with or supply MBR Acres in Cambridgeshire, UK, supporting the broader ‘Free the MBR Beagles campaign’ fighting against the puppy mill that breeds beagles for vivisection in the UK.

Since its inception they have managed to sign up 10 MBR Suppliers to a business boycott where they promise not to work with MBR again. A notable example would be JRS bedding supplier, which was also supplying with bedding to huge companies like Pets at Home. When folks contacted Pets at Home to tell them the supplier also sold bedding to MBR Acres, PaH threatened to pull and JRS decided not to sell bedding to MBR any longer. Other companies joining the boycott have been Acourt Group (they collected MBR Acres dog waste)and Bender, who did their human waste.

IMPEX (the company who transports the dogs from the farm to the labs) was targeted after people found their new van depot, so the farm that rented them a shed to store the vans evicted them and forced them to park in the owner’s house instead. They also lost the company who sold, serviced and modified their vans.

The campaign has seen multiple creative protest, but the vast majority of the action has been even simpler; emails and phone calls have achieved a lot of the wins so far. This means that the campaign is accessible to most, even internationally, but organisers insist that there is a place for all who want to take part, from leafletting and wheat pasting to emailing, protest, phone calls and researching, there are so many ways people can help that you will find a way to join them too! 

They are mostly operation on a Facebook group, which can be found here: 


https://www.facebook.com/groups/mbrsuppliers

You don’t need to join that Facebook group though, you could potentially just look at the list of businesses identified as MBR suppliers and do your own thing. Check it out here: 


https://www.facebook.com/groups/mbrsuppliers/posts/1183464019743710

They also have an automated emailer, which with a few clicks lets you send emails to all the companies involved. You can find it here: 



http://mbrsuppliers.free.nf

Campaigning takes a million and one forms, and once you have identified your target, sometimes it is smarter to zoom out slightly to see the connections they have to the outside world. Plucking MBR suppliers away from the dog farm means they slowly asphyxiate trying to find someone else who will work with them, allowing other companies to demand more money for the same service to then pull out of the deal when they feel the pressure. 



Join them, and destroy MBR!



{photo at a demo in front of Stericycle in Bournemouth}