Britain's Fox Hunters Defy Opposition

L O N D O N, Dec. 26 -- For many in Britain, the day after Christmas — or Boxing Day as it is called — means red coats, horses and foxes, in that order.

It’s a time-honored tradition called the fox hunt, when horseback riders gallop across Britain’s fields chasing and killing foxes in what the hunters insist is a sport.

But this year, thousands of hunt saboteurs gathered to protest a tradition they call barbaric and elitist.

Opposition to the 300-year-old tradition has become increasingly vocal over the past few years and this year, has even won the support of a number of politicians.

Many members of the ruling Labor Party, including Prime Minister Tony Blair, want to see fox hunting with hounds banned and some left-wingers make no secret of the fact that theyregard it as a pursuit of the upper classes.

The House of Commons voted last week to consider a bill that could prohibit fox hunting. The Hunting Bill, which includes an option for a near-total ban, easily moved on to the next legislative step by a 373-158 vote despite impassioned protests from pro-hunting enthusiasts.

But in Britain today, thousands of hunters sent their hounds out after foxes with only a few minor incidents of trouble reported.

Police said protesters at Maldon in southeast Englandpelted hunters with eggs and other objects. One person wasarrested.

In the town of Winslow, northwest of London, protestersconfronted hunters with posters. “Barbaric” and “Blood on your hands,” the posters declared.

“I have no problem with the pageantry, no problem with having their meets or riding and everything,” said Laira Cracknell of the League Against Cruel Sports. “But not at the expense of any animal being ripped to shreds for fun.”

The League Against Cruel Sport helped organize the Maldon protest, which policesaid attracted several hundred anti-hunting activists.

A Popular Sport

But hunters were defiant in the face of the resistance. The pro-hunt Countryside Alliance lobby group said upto 300,000 people took part in 300 Boxing Day fox hunts acrossBritain, reinforcing its argument that a ban would be against the wishes of many Britons.