09 January 2024 , 17:56
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Footage appears to show female protestors dragged through mud and told to "f*** off the land" by a group of men at a hunt meeting.
The Northants Hunt Saboteurs clashed with masked "stewards" they claim were part of a leading hunt. The three women claim they were sworn at with "b****" and "s***" shouted at them as they were forced to leave. In the video the women follow members of the hunt in a field at around 2.30pm, last Saturday. They were filming the activities of the hunt when they were surrounded by four men wearing identical orange and black puffer jackets.
One of the men is seen shoving a female protester to the ground in the footage before the woman filming is also pushed into the mud. Then a man is seen dragging one of the young women through the mud by her arm. The protestors are then manhandled and sworn at repeatedly while being ordered to “f*** off the land”. At one point a huntsman on a horse is seen riding past the women as they are being shoved but does not intervene.
The women then reluctantly walk along the side of the field while the group appear to take it in turns to shove them and make veiled threats. When one of the saboteurs complains about her colleague being thrown to the ground, one of the men shouts back: “Tell your b**** to keep walking then.”
One of the women tells one of the men who appears to be in charge: “You sound out of breath mate from pushing women over.” And he replies: “Keep going you s***.” The women are then seen being barged into the road past a group of bemused hunt supporters.
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A protestor being dragged through a field (Northants Hunt Saboteurs / SWNS)The saboteurs claim they were monitoring the hunt to ensure no foxes were killed by the hounds. A spokesperson for Northants Hunt Saboteurs said: “This video is clear evidence of hunt violence towards sabs as four masked men in matching jackets assault sabs with physical and verbal abuse. Our sabs were dragged through mud, had their faces pushed into mud and were threatened throughout.
“These 'stewards' also can be heard using misogynistic language towards our sabs. This attack has been reported to Leicestershire police who took statements from sabs at the scene. We await to see what action will be taken by Leicestershire Police but we would like to think that the evidence speaks for itself.”
The protestors also claim they were sworn at by the men (Northants Hunt Saboteurs / SWNS)Leicestershire Police have confirmed they had launched a probe into the alleged assault. A force spokesperson said: “An investigation is continuing after two women reported they had been assaulted in a field.
“The incident happened at around 2.30pm on Saturday (6 January). The victims reported they had been dragged to the ground by a group of men. No-one has been arrested and enquiries into the incident are continuing.”