Hunters on the march

London

An indignant army of 400,000 farmers, aristocratic hunters, and other “country folk’’ marched on London this week to denounce government policy on rural matters—particularly a proposed ban on fox hunting. The protesters, traveling from remote corners of England, Scotland, and Wales, filled London with a cacophony of hunting horns, whistles, and bagpipes. It was the largest civil protest in 150 years. “We are here to show Mr. Blair that we won’t go away, we won’t be quiet,” said gamekeeper John Gammell. “He is talking about changing our way of life.’’ The Blair administration acknowledged problems such as declining farm incomes and poor social services in the countryside, but said the march had been hijacked by the hunting lobby. The government is soon expected to pass legislation banning or severely restricting fox hunting, which it says is unnecessarily cruel.

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