A Day with England’s Hunt Saboteurs
April 18, 2026 at 01:02AMThe hunt and the hunt saboteur have a long history in the UK, one that continued even after the ban on fox hunting in 2004. With the ban riddled with loopholes, saboteurs have remained necessary to help protect British foxes. They are a dedicated and eclectic bunch, now embracing new technology such as drones to catch hunters who push the limits of the law. With the UK government moving towards a complete ban on trail hunting, this tumultuous relationship may finally be drawing to a close—although I suspect some unfinished business may linger for years to come.
For most of their history, hunting was legal, so the police responded with covert infiltration and mass arrests. Meanwhile, the hunters responded with violence, trampling sabs with horses, blasting shotguns at vans, and assaulting them with blunt instruments. As tensions escalated in the 1980s, a handful of animal-rights activists adopted more extreme tactics, raiding kennels and launching firebombing campaigns. In 1984, one group, the Hunt Retribution Squad, even plotted to exhume the 10th Duke of Beaufort and post his head to Princess Anne.
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2026/04/17/a-day-with-englands-hunt-saboteurs/
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