In the early days of August the UK was shaken by outbreaks of riots, vandalism and thuggery on streets across the country. At the time of writing, over 1,000 individuals have been arrested and hundreds charged for their participation in these acts of violence.
Some readers may look at photos of the rioters and think they seem somewhat familiar, with mobs of young men in balaclavas, face masks and dark clothing amassing in intimidating huddles and constantly filming on their phones.
Hunt sabs
Hunt saboteurs roam the countryside in similarly menacing attire. Like the rioters, they wear face coverings in order to hide their identities and to intimidate people.
Sabs have a well-documented history of violence and public disorder, with multiple sabs receiving convictions for assault, as well as threatening behaviour and language.
In 2019 it was reported that sab and convicted criminal Paul Allman and four other masked men blocked the entrance to the home of a 31-year-old mother, Rebekah Uden, terrifying her in the process. Uden, who lives in Trefant, north Wales, was with her 10 and 13-year-old children at the time and had never been near a hunt in her life, she said.
‘'I'm not a fox hunter, I've never hunted in my life. But they're using fox hunting as a smokescreen to cause trouble. They're nothing more than thugs," said Uden.
In the video, Uden repeatedly asks the sabs to take their masks off, which they refuse to do.
Reports have emerged that masks could be banned at protests after concern that the far-right rioters covered their faces to avoid identification and arrest. While this potential crackdown would be designed to stop balaclava-clad thuggery on Britain’s streets, it could also have a similarly welcome effect in our countryside.
A masked rioter outside the Holiday Inn Express, Rotherham
As the new Policing Minister Diana Johnson recently wrote, “Do not tell me that someone is in a crowd for peaceful reasons when they are wearing a balaclava to avoid being identified”. This notion should be applied with equal vigour to the masked thugs who roam our countryside.
The thuggish and violent behaviour that has sadly been seen across the country will also be familiar to those who have been threatened and assaulted by hunt saboteurs.
Take Andrew Purbrick, who was involved in a violent clash during a Boxing Day hunt parade in December 2021 in Lacock when he was filmed putting a hunt supporter in a headlock. Like some of the rioters have been, he was arrested and charged under the Public Order Act with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour with intent to cause fear or violence.
Just a few days earlier, masked sab Alexandra Dennis was filmed viciously attacking an 81-year-old pensioner during a hunt. Her victim, Richard de Pelet, said the unprovoked attack left him “feeling anxious and vulnerable” and “frightened for [his] personal safety”.
In another display of violence and thuggery, Welsh sab Daffyd Hughes was convicted for assault in 2019 after reportedly trespassing onto private woodland in a balaclava, wielding a bull whip and assaulting a hunt supporter.
Judge Mark Davies on the ground surrounded by masked hunt saboteurs after being assaulted
In fact, just this week multiple police officers and vehicles – including riot vans – had to be dispatched to deal with the problems caused by sabs on a grouse moor.
In the days following 12 August – or the Glorious Twelfth, as the date is known to thousands across the British countryside – multiple saboteur groups posted on Facebook about their coordinated disruption of a shoot in County Durham.
The sabs themselves claim they remained on the estate for five hours until the police issued dispersal orders. That’s an awful lot of police time, resources, and money to waste.
Calder Valley Hunt Saboteurs proudly posed with their banner in front of a police car on which ‘ACAB’ had been traced on the rear windshield. ACAB, which stands for ‘All Cops Are Bastards’, has been classed as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Calder Valley Hunt Sabs apparently think police officers are 'bastards'
At BTM, we believe it is particularly odious to describe as “bastards” the very people who have been putting themselves in harm’s way to protect British citizens and their property during the recent far-right riots.
51 officers were injured during the riot at a hotel in Rotherham on 4 August, suffering injuries including broken bones, concussion, bruising and head wounds. The following day at a riot in Plymouth, three police officers were injured after large masonry was thrown at them during a period of “sustained violence”.
Meanwhile, Merseyside Police announced last week that more than 90 of its officers had been injured trying to contain the violent disorder in the region. Their injuries included fractures, broken jaws and lost teeth.
Is it these people who hunt sabs think are “bastards”?
Perhaps their aversion to these officers is because, as their response to the early August riots has shown, police officers will take a strong stance against intimidation, thuggery or violence - even if the perpetrators try to hide behind a mask.
