It will be interesting to see how the police will handle this. I wonder will they provide safe passage to shooters to estates (as any trespassing will be already dealt with?!)
In all seriousness, it was to be expected wasn't it?
Years ago I was given a profile of a hunt Sab to look at by a friend who works advising the police on such matters. Basically they identified three profiles, I.e locals joining in, hard core activists and the student/do-gooder's.
The only one I saw was the hard core activist profile, and wow, it made interesting reading. Usually officially unemployed, but makes a living off donations from the groups offilliated with, more than 10 occasions of police intervention (actual crimes to official warnings) with at least two accounts of GBH/ABH/Destruction of property on record. What was shocking was the depth of their belief in what they were doing was right and just. To the point where the clearly thought that the death of some animals was acceptable to allow them to bring light to a subject (people may remember hounds being poisoned in their Kennals /horses being slashed etc)
i actually think that the pheasant shoots attendee's ( beaters/staff /shooters alike) are in real danger because of two things, one they pursue this activity in the daylight (easily found) and two the concentration of the militant types protesting stands them at a greater threat than ever before.
So yes, it will be interesting to see if the police manage it, or simply react when a serious incident occurs -
T