British Hunters Clash With Police -- AP
From: David James Polewka (joseywales_at_outlaw.nospam)
Date: 09/15/04
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Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 17:23:54 GMT
[Anyone know why this is happening? Class?
..........POPULATION PRESSURES !!]
Associated Press -- September 15, 2004
LONDON (AP) -- Five protesters burst into the House of Commons during a
debate on banning fox hunting Tuesday, while thousands of hunting
enthusiasts massed in a noisy demonstration outside -- some of them
clashing with police in riot gear.
The protesters, wearing white T-shirts, managed to reach the floor of
the Commons chamber and run toward the central box where government
ministers and opposition leaders speak. Guards grabbed them and hustled
them out, and the debate resumed after about 30 minutes.
The invasion of the House of Commons came two days after another
embarrassing security breach when a protester dressed as Batman climbed
up a ledge at the front of Buckingham palace.
``Nobody has ever got near the floor of the House before,'' said John
McWilliam, a member of parliament for the Labour Party.
``We were supposed to have a tightening up of security after the purple
powder escapade -- clearly it has not happened, especially on a day when
the threat was materially higher than on that occasion,'' McWilliam
said.
Outside, on the grassy Parliament Square, some 10,000 people blew horns
and waved banners in support of the controversial rural sport. Scuffles
broke out as some protesters surged against a police line blocking the
crowd from crossing the road to Parliament's ornate gates.
Police drew batons and exchanged blows with some protesters, who had
thrown wooden placards. Blood poured down the heads of some
demonstrators, and red smoke wafted between rows of police vans after
demonstrators apparently hurled a smoke bomb.
It was a dramatic demonstration of the passions aroused in the debate
about hunting foxes and other prey with dog packs. Opponents say it is a
barbaric practice that has no place in modern society. Supporters say
the government, which has vowed to outlaw the sport, is needlessly
meddling in their rural way of life.
``I don't know how it started, but the crowd kept pushing, so the police
started hitting people,'' said Andrew Vernon, 25, who had come to London
from Scotland. ``I saw girls getting hit just like me. There were
probably about 20 of us getting hit up there. It was just disgusting.''
Scotland Yard police headquarters could not immediately say how many
people were arrested.
The government has allowed just one day to rush the Hunting Bill through
the House of Commons and says it won't let the House of Lords,
Parliament's unelected upper chamber, block the legislation as it has
done in the past.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government came to power in 1997
promising lawmakers a free vote on whether to outlaw the sport.
An overwhelming majority of lawmakers in the House of Commons support
the ban on the centuries-old sport, in which scarlet jacketed horsemen
pursue foxes across the countryside with packs of baying hounds, and it
is likely to be enforced by July 2006.
``I think it is a scandal,'' said Peter Oliver, who has ridden with the
hounds in rural Dorset, southern England, for 20 years. ``It is totally
undemocratic. I think foxes have to be killed, and if hunting stops, the
population will increase and they will either starve to death or be shot
by farmers.''
Fox hunting polarizes Britain between town and country, and agitates the
class antagonisms that simmer below the surface of British society.
While the royal family and many others delight in hunting, opinion polls
show most Britons believe it's cruel.
Several hours have been set aside Wednesday for lawmakers to debate the
bill. They will also vote on a government proposal to delay the date the
ban takes effect, to allow employees of some 200 hunts around the
country to find alternative employment and thousands of fox hounds to be
rehoused.
Mike Wilkinson, sitting outside the Commons wearing a wax jacket, said a
ban would destroy the fabric of rural life.
``The issue is much broader than just hunting with dogs,'' he said. ``It
will affect farriers, saddlers, hay makers and blacksmiths. It is
inevitable that this will become an election issue.''
Rural campaigners insist they will challenge a ban in court if the
government uses the Parliament Act to prevent peers from blocking the
bill.
Once a ban is enforced, Tim Bonner of the pro-hunting Countryside
Alliance said campaigners would deliberately flout the new law and, if
arrested, would challenge it under European human rights legislation.
Monday's protest at Buckingham Palace was staged by Fathers 4 Justice, a
group advocating stronger rights for divorced and separated fathers,
which also disrupted the Commons on May 19 when two members threw purple
flour at Prime Minister Tony Blair. One of those men, Ron Davis, was
convicted of disorderly behavior on Wednesday, placed on two years
probation and ordered to pay $800 in costs.
(PMs; SUBS lead to correct that five STED four protesters burst into the
House of commons; RESTORES first reference to Blair; UPDATES with
context about other recent intrusions, quotes and details)
=========================
"Endeavor to persevere"
=========================
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