BOXING DAY & NEW YEAR’S DAY 26/27

Challenge the hunt. Tell the truth.

Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are fast approaching. Despite the promised legislative change to ban trail hunting, the hunts will once again descend on our town centres, parading their hounds, horses and smartly dressed riders for the public to admire.

A RESPECTABLE FACADE — BUT WHAT LIES BENEATH?

It is a carefully staged charade. Those of us who know the truth — the hunts themselves, campaigners and those who take direct action against them — understand what lies behind the polished image: a culture of cruelty to animals, concealed behind the respectable façade of a traditional country pursuit.

But for the unsuspecting public, the spectacle can be persuasive. Many people still have little idea of the brutality that lies behind the hunts’ carefully cultivated image. They see the horses, the hounds and the well-dressed riders, and assume that something so openly displayed in the heart of a town must be legitimate.

Surely, if it were really wrong, they wouldn’t be allowed to do it in public?

And that is precisely the point. The hunts’ public appearances are not simply a celebration of tradition; they are an exercise in public relations, designed to win acceptance, deflect scrutiny and persuade people that all is well. This deception becomes all the more effective when nobody challenges it.

SO, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

1. GET THE FACTS OUT THERE!

The most important thing we can do is make sure the public knows the truth about the hunts.

Everyone in a town hosting a festive hunt meet deserves to know what lies behind the polished public image.

How can we spread the word? By getting our AAF Boxing Day leaflets out there!

• Deliver them door-to-door in the areas where festive meets take place.
• Display them on community noticeboards to reach local residents.
• Take to the streets and hand them out to people who might otherwise know nothing about the hunts’ activities.

Every leaflet helps challenge the hunts’ carefully cultivated image and gives people facts they might otherwise never hear.

ORDER YOUR AAF BOXING DAY LEAFLETS AND STICKERS

https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/order-boxing-day-and-new-years-day-leaflets-and-stickers/

2. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

Write to your local newspaper and explain why you don’t want to see hunts parading through your town on Boxing Day or New Year’s Day.

A letter to the editor is a simple but effective way to raise awareness, challenge the impression of public acceptance and make our voices heard. The more people speak out, the harder it becomes for hunts to present their presence as universally welcomed.

3. WANT TO TAKE YOUR CHALLENGE FURTHER?

If you want to do more than raise awareness, AAF has advice to help you challenge festive hunt meets and take action in your own community.

READ OUR ADVICE HERE:

https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/the-simple-version/

DON’T LET THE HUNTS OWN THE STREETS — OR THE STORY.

This Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, help expose the truth behind the spectacle. Spread the word. Challenge the image. Make every leaflet count.

If you have any questions, email Pip on info@actionagainstfoxhunting.org