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Hundreds of hunting supporters gathered for the hunt despite objections from Chris Packham and Tiverton Local Council. annual boxing day party – despite being told they were “not welcome”.
The TV presenter called the event “morally and morally bankrupt” as he urged Devon town councilors Vote against this historic meeting earlier this month.
However event This despite Tiverton Town Council voting in favor of a motion declaring: “Hunting parties are not welcome in Tiverton on Boxing Day or any other day.”
Hundreds of people turned out to support the Tiverton Foxhounds, who have been meeting outside the Half Moon pub in the town square on Boxing Day for around 200 years.
Tiverton Foxhounds’ Kelvin Thomas addressed the crowd on horseback on Friday, vowing to meet again next year and telling Mr Packham to stay out of rural affairs.
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“It would be nice if he left the rural issues to us and he gets on with his job and the city governments get on with their job and we all get along, no problem. Obviously we’re not welcome and you’re not welcome – but it’s nice to see you anyway.”
Around 50 protesters also gathered in the town, holding placards and cardboard models of Mr Packham, before hunters blew their horns at around 11am.
Meanwhile, Hunt supporters vow to fight Sir Keir Starmer’s fight Plan to ban off-road hunting Thousands of people attended traditional Boxing Day gatherings across the country on Friday.
The government has announced plans to clamp down on the sport, claiming off-road hunting – where packs of hounds follow scents prepared for them – is often used as a smokescreen for illegal fox hunting.
The Countryside Alliance has defended off-road hunting, which was introduced to comply with a 2004 Hunting Act ban on hunting foxes. The organization claims hunting contributes more than £100m a year to the rural economy.
The pressure group warned this week that Starmer had “alienated rural people”, with a poll showing 65 per cent of voters believed the Labor government had unfairly neglected rural communities.
Despite the partial turnaround, the farming community remains unhappy with the changes to inheritance tax relief.
Will Blair, co-owner of the Duke of Beaufort Hunt, said the countryside was “under attack and under siege” and said the government would face a “fight”.
Addressing an audience of thousands at the Big Game Hunt near Featherton in Gloucestershire on Friday, he said: “I just wonder if our government would have made the announcement if they had predicted a turnout like this.
“It’s a bit ironic that the government has chosen to announce their intention to destroy off-road hunting at a time of year when we reaffirm our beliefs, isn’t it?
“So ask yourself: Why are you here today? Is it because you believe in your connection to the land and farmers?
“Is it because you believe in protecting British heritage? Is it because you believe in hunting?
“So, we’re under attack, we’re under siege, and like all battles, things are going to get messy. But we have to, we have to stick together.
“So, because of my age, I would say, take a page from the super ballads of the 1980s, take a page from the Journey song, and don’t stop believing. The hunt has a future, the hunt is here to stay.”
The Grove Rufford Hunt gathers on the main street of Bowtree, South Yorkshire, before more than 100 riders set off for the nearby village of Skaftworth.
Chairman and owner Jane Bowen spoke outside the Crown Hotel, pleading with the government to “please leave us alone”.
She added: “We are misunderstood. They refuse to engage with us on any level.
“And if they came to visit the kennels where anyone is welcome at any time and actually see and understand what we do, then I think they would have a different perspective.
“We all have different views and that’s the democratic choice, or it was. We choose to do it, and we do it legally, just like we’ve done for 20 years. So, please leave us alone.”
The proposed ban, a promise included in Labour’s election manifesto, has been welcomed by animal rights groups after years of conflict over whether genuine off-road hunting should take place.
A public consultation on the ban will launch in early 2026.
Rob Pownall, of Conservation Wildlife, said: “Boxing Day hunting is deliberately done as a tradition and spectacle to normalize behavior that would be unacceptable on any other day of the year.
“Boycotting them is not about ruining the celebrations, it’s about refusing to allow cruelty to wildlife to return to culture.
“When laws are poorly enforced and rituals hide suffering, peaceful resistance becomes legitimate and necessary.”