Thousands of chanting, horn-blowing countryside supporters yesterday laid siege to the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth. The pro-hunt march and rally organised by the Countryside Alliance attracted around 16,000 people from all over Britain.
The alliance brought the town virtually to a standstill for about three hours with many road closures and police officers on duty. A wall of about 600 policemen divided anti-hunt supporters from the marchers outside the conference centre, while mounted officers led the noisy procession headed by a wagon pulled by two white shire horses.
Hunting horns, drums and screams rose to a deafening crescendo as the marchers approached the seafront centre. Bananas and other fruit were thrown at the procession and anti-hunt demonstrators dressed as foxes hurled abuse. The event passed off without serious incident. However, the anger felt by alliance supporters was evident in a series of speeches at the rally start in Meyrick Park, Bournemouth. Labour hunting peer Baroness Mallalieu accused Mr Blair of "playing party politics with people's lives, jobs and families". She told the rally the Prime Minister showed a "lack of understanding of how we live that makes us weep with frustration".
Lady Mallalieu said in a message to Mr Blair: "No other political issue today draws crowds to protest on the same scale as opposition to your proposal to criminalise a quarter-of-a-million model citizens."
The latest row over hunting was sparked by a TV interview on BBC Question Time last July when Mr Blair declared his support for a ban on the blood sport. His comments provoked the alliance into organising yesterday's demonstration. Last year, Labour's Mr Mike Foster, MP for Worcester, failed to get a Private Member's Bill banning the sport through the Commons.