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Rural England Demands Respect from London
Countryside Alliance Raises 400,000 Marchers
IN THE LARGEST CIVIL RIGHTS demonstration England has seen in 150 years, the "Liberty and Livelihood" rally descended on London on Sept. 22 to demand their government reverse the erosion of rural life and start respecting rural values.
The rally, organized by the umbrella Countryside Alliance, was attended by perhaps as many as 400,000 people, including sympathizers who flew in from across Europe and as far afield as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the U.S.
Many came to protest the Labour government's long-standing promise to ban hunting with dogs, which in the English context means primarily fox hunting. But that alone could never have drawn such a crowd. Other issues seen as dividing the countryside from an urban-oriented government include falling farm incomes and salaries in rural areas, soaring house prices, and a rural economy devastated by mad cow disease and last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic.
The government of Prime Minister Tony Blair has said repeatedly that it cares about rural issues, but there is little evidence to support its claims. For many, Blair's attempt to ban fox hunting is seen as symbolising a prejudice against rural people and their values, and a readiness to mollycoddle urban voters, the majority of whom oppose hunting.
This mistrust has been underscored by a series of revelations about the Labour party accepting large donations from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which is opposed to all animal use by humans. Labour's election promise to ban fox hunting has been seen as payback for these donations, along with the recent ban imposed on fur farming in England.
Labour has also been accused of taking a soft line on animal rights terrorists, only toughening its stance in the last two years after a vicious campaign was launched against Huntingdon Life Sciences, one of Europe's largest animal testing facilities. While Labour has vowed that terrorists will not destroy England's biomedical research sector, it has never shown the same commitment to combating terrorist attacks against fur farmers or fox hunts.
See also:
Countryside Alliance March Gallery
The March Is Over ... Where Do We Go from Here? By Richard Burge, Countryside Alliance
FCUSA Press Kit Special Feature : Euro-Watch
A Domino Too Far; UK Government Tells Animal Rightists "Enough Is Enough" FCUSA commentary on fur farming ban, fox hunting, and campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences; Apr. 12, 2001.
UK Government Still Fuzzy on Morals, Ethics FCUSA commentary on bill to ban fur farming; June 13, 2000. (Also available in PDF)
British Government on Misplaced Moral Crusade FCUSA commentary on bill to ban fur farming; Jan. 12, 2000.
For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 272-2467/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.
To take a cyber-tour of a fur farm, visit Fur Commission USA's Fur on Film at http://www.furcommission.com/video/index.htm