UK: LONDON: PROTEST AGAINST TREATMENT OF COUNTRYSIDE CONSTITUENCY

Описание: (1 Mar 1998) English/Nat

Tens of thousands of people converged on central London Sunday to protest against the government's treatment of its countryside constituency.

One of the main issues at stake was recent moves to outlaw the traditional country practice of fox hunting.

That decision seems to have enraged residents from as far as Scotland and Northern Ireland, who came to express their feelings.

But the affair remained calm, and marchers peacefully made their way from the Embankment to Hyde Park.

More than 100-thousand country dwellers converged on central London on Sunday to complain that they are being neglected by the British government.

When well-known sporting horseman Richard Meade lit this torch, once used for the Olympic games, the march officially began.

The marchers had plenty of grievances.

They were united in the desire to be heard by Prime Minister Tony Blair's "New Labour" government, which they feel is paying more attention to cosmopolitan London than to the rest of the country.

Their interests included the environment, the right to hunt foxes, government subsidies to farmers and complaints that the city is encroaching ever further into their domain.

Men dressed in their outdoor attire - red hunting jackets, fishing gear and hiking boots - looked a little out of place in the streets in the central London.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I've come here really to protect my job, and the way of the countryside. We've been threatened by this bill as everybody knows, and we're going to stand up for our rights and the freedom of choice and everything in the countryside. We're not against the townies or anything like that, we're not against them looking at our countryside but we are against them telling us what to do with the countryside, that's what it's all about."
SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop

Public transport was flooded with people who came to town in trains, planes and automobiles.

Streets were barricaded off along the parade route, and traffic was rerouted.

But the protesters couldn't care less if there were transportation problems.

They were more concerned with getting their message across -- their desire to continue living a life without restrictions, spending their time doing what they enjoy and believe is their right.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The freedom to do what I would like to do within the law, whenever I choose to do it - whether that is hunting or shooting or fishing I believe that is a democratic right, and that is why I am walking today."
SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop

The British government seems divided on the central issue of whether to ban fox hunting.

Although it has been a public supporter of banning fox hunting, Tony Blair's government will not supply parliamentary time to allow a private bill on the matter to become law.

And conspicuously absent from the march was Agriculture Minister Jack Cunningham.

He told Britain's Sunday Express newspaper he was worried the American gun lobby had promoted and supplied funds for the protest and as such he did not want to be a part of it.

This claim was emphatically denied by the organisers.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Well I can tell you absolutely that is totally and utterly untrue. We do fund raise in America, like we fund raise in this country, through auctions and so on, but certainly not from the American gun lobby.''
SUPER CAPTION: John Haigh, Spokesman for the Countryside Alliance

The protesters hope their points have been made and that the government will react to their pleas.

If it is not, they will not take it lying down.

SOUNDBITE: (English)


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