Pro-hunt demonstrators dumped animal carcasses and women went topless amid noisy protests on Tuesday outside Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party conference. Blowing horns
and waving signs that read: "Fight Prejudice, Fight the Ban" and "Fox-Off Blair," about 8,000 demonstrators against plans to outlaw fox-hunting marched along the Brighton seafront, flanked by hundreds of police in riot gear. Several women dressed in black bathing suits removed their tops and jumped into the chilly English Channel waters as part of the protest. They were joined by members of "Surfers 4 Hunting" riding surfboards.
Tempers flared between some protesters — who defend hunting as an essential part of Britain's rural heritage — and a handful of hunt opponents who denounce the centuries-old pursuit as a barbaric bloodsport. Witnesses said the carcasses of two calves were left close to the conference center while a dead horse was deposited outside. Two men were arrested.
| "Put yer 'ands up and step away from the dead horse, Trevor!" |
Parliamentarians from Blair's Labor Party overwhelmingly voted on Sept. 16 to ban hunting with hounds on a day that saw some 10,000 hunt supporters protest outside parliament and a handful break in to the historic debating chamber. Protestors say a ban would cost thousands of rural jobs and is based purely on class prejudice.
No good pics. Damn
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