Protest against FG's plan to reverse ban on cruel hunt

Photos and video from anti-FG/staghunt protest
24 February 2011

A selection of photos and video from the ARAN protest against Fine Gael's pledge to reverse the ban on staghunting. Representatives of ICABS were at the protest outside Fine Gael's headquarters in Dublin where we joined calls for the party to scrap its plan to bring back staghunt cruelty.

Protest against FG's plan to reverse ban on cruel hunt
22 February 2011

Animal Rights Action Network is organising a protest against Fine Gael's pledge to reverse the ban on staghunting. The protest will take place outside FG headquarters, 51 Upper Mount St, Dublin TODAY, Wednesday, February 23rd from 6pm. Please make a special effort to be at this important event.

When: Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011 from 6pm
Location: Outside Fine Gael headquarters, 51 Upper Mount St, Dublin 2.
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Co-ordinates: 53.3376764,-6.246263699999986. 53° 20' 15.64'',-7° 45' 13.45''

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Print and distribute our new flyer
18 February 2011

Fine Gael want to reverse the ban on cruel staghunting. Alert as many people as possible ahead of the election on Friday, February 25th. Please print and distribute as many of our flyers as you can. Thank you.

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Fine Gael Want to Bring Back This Cruelty

Fine Gael threaten to reverse stag hunt ban

The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is horrified to note that the Fine Gael manifesto, launched today, includes a promise to reverse the ban on stag hunting. Please join our urgent appeal to the party to scrap this pledge to bring back a blood sport.

The manifesto, in a section headed "Keeping Communities Vibrant/Rural Activities", states that "Fine Gael will reverse the ban on stag hunting."

Download the Manifesto and turn to page 26/27 - Section 5.3

Elsewhere in the manifesto, Fine Gael say that they will "update existing animal welfare rules which are outdated and need to be reformed". If that is the case and they want to improve and update animal welfare, they are off to a bad start by threatening to repeal an act which has banned gratuitous cruelty to vulnerable animals, which for over 150 years were hounded by dogs for "sport".

Stag hunting was banned last June after a majority of TDs voted in favour of the Wildlife Amendment Bill which outlawed the cruel activity. The ban was widely welcomed.

Any attempt to reverse the hunt ban would be a callous and despicable move by Fine Gael if they attain power. We have no doubt that the majority of people in this country would find this utterly abhorrent.

Please scroll down now for our URGENT ACTION ALERT

URGENT ACTION ALERT

Send a message to Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, and make it clear to him that you do not want a reversal of the stag hunting ban.

Email letter to:
enda.kenny@finegael.ie (CC policy@finegael.ie)

Tel: (094) 9025600 (Enda Kenny Constituency Office) Tel: (01) 619 8444 / (01) 669 4731 (Fine Gael Head Office)

Fax:
00 353 (0)1 618 4502 (Enda Kenny)
00 353 (0)1 662 5046 (Fine Gael Head Office)

Postal Address:
Enda Kenny, Tucker Street, Castlebar, Co Mayo
with a copy to Fine Gael HQ, 51 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2.

SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, feel free to send the short sample letter below.)

Dear Mr Kenny,
I am horrified to note in the Fine Gael manifesto that your party is threatening to reverse the ban on stag hunting.
As one of the majority of Irish people who want all blood sports banned, I urge you to scrap this shameful pledge and instead commit to bringing all forms of cruelty to an end here.
Please stop defending hunting and modernise your party's animal welfare policies.
May I add that a political candidate's stance on animal cruelty is a major factor in my voting decision.
Thank you. I look forward to your reply.
[Name/Location]

ACTION ALERT

Please contact your local Fine Gael election candidates and tell them that you oppose any attempt to reverse the staghunt ban. You can find the FG candidates list at www.finegael2011.com

ACTION ALERT

Contact all your local election candidates and tell them that their stance on animal cruelty issues is a major factor in your voting decision

Find out the views of election candidates on our Election 2011 campaign page

VIDEO: The cruelty Fine Gael wants to bring back

This disgusting animal cruelty has been banned in Ireland but Fine Gael is pledging to bring it back. The party's election manifesto states that "Fine Gael will reverse the ban on stag hunting". Please respond to our Urgent Action Alert and Vote for Compassionate Candidates on Friday, February 25th. Find out more in our Election 2011 Campaign Page.

Please keep reading for related news...

Kenny has 'blood on his hands', says anti-hunt protester
18 February 2011
www.breakingnews.ie

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has today been accused of having "blood on his hands" over plans to reverse the ban on deer hunting.

Protester John Carmody covered his hands in red paint and tried to talk to him in Cork, before Kenny was driven away.

"Ireland needs to move on from an era of cruelty, we're asking you to please respect the wishes of Irish people and do not bring in the ward union hunt ban, please keep the hunt legislation where it is," pleaded the protestor.

"Shame on you Enda Kenny, you've got blood on your hands."

Fine Gael challenged on blood sports stance
22 October 2009

ICABS is urging Fine Gael to modernise its animal welfare policies after a spokesperson stated that the party "supports country sports" and will "oppose any move by Government to deny groups the right to continue to pursue these activities".

In a letter of complaint to Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, ICABS strongly criticised the party's stance on animal cruelty activities. The stance was outlined in a statement this week from FG Agriculture spokesperson Michael Creed TD, who said:

"Fine Gael supports country sports which are carried out humanely, properly supervised and monitored and that do not involve any undue risk to animal welfare. If these criteria can be satisfied Fine Gael does not oppose properly licensed country sports activities."
"Fine Gael will oppose any move by Government to deny groups who have conducted their activities as per their licences, the right to continue to pursue these activities in the future. We believe that imposing a ban on these licensed activities would be a retrograde step both in terms of animal welfare and economically.
He also shamelessly defends cruel blood sports on monetary grounds, saying that "it would be irresponsible to discount the importance of rural pursuits to the economy as a whole."

In our correspondence to Enda Kenny (and Olivia Mitchell TD who said Mr Creed's statement reflected her own views), ICABS stated: "We wish to convey to you our extreme disappointment and disbelief that a modern party like Fine Gael is continuing to side with the merciless minority who take pleasure in abusing animals and subjecting them to the most horrendous cruelty. For the majority who want coursing, foxhunting and carted deer hunting outlawed, it is highly offensive for Deputy Creed to suggest that the activities he euphemistically refers to as 'country sports' could in any way be 'carried out humanely...and not involve any undue risk to animal welfare'."

We stressed that Deputy Creed is "clearly wrong in his assertion that if an activity is licensed, it must not be cruel", highlighting that in coursing and carted deer hunting (both licensed), animals are subjected to terrible suffering.

"The stance, presented by Deputy Creed, reflects very poorly on Fine Gael," we added. "We hope that your party can work on modernising its animal welfare policies and bringing them in line with the overwhelming view in Ireland that animal cruelty is wrong and should be urgently legislated against."

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