HAI speaks out against ICABS; ICABS tries to rally protest in response

Grizzly 45

03 March 2013 Sunday independant

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/a-bad-day-for-democracy-29105483.html


Madam – It is disturbing to learn that a visitor to these shores cannot go for a quiet drink in a hotel without finding himself the subject of an online witch-hunt orchestrated by animal rights radicals.

I am referring to the report in your newspaper (Sunday Independent, February 17, 2013) concerning the Scottish singer, Paolo Nutini, whose attendance at a hunt ball in Co Westmeath provoked yet another outpouring of rage from those who seek to denormalise hunting using a variety of tactics, one of which is to mobilise a social media lynch mob against anybody in the public eye who finds disfavour with them through any association – no matter how tenuous – with hunting.
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Sparks

Posted on twitter by ICABS:

Hunters unhappy that campaigners are exercising democratic right to speak out against cruel hunting! Comment at http://dld.bz/cmBXy

Sparks

Copying these out of the ICABS Watch sticky for comment - I think it might be an idea for people to post messages of support on http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/a-bad-day-for-democracy-29105483.html if ICABS start posting what you'd expect them to post.

Conmaicne Mara

Not only that, but it may also be a good idea to post messages of support to those bearing the brunt of these witch hunts.

The Aussie

This to me is where the crux of the story lies.

"Animal rights radicals can never muster any more than a few dozen protesters at their events and understand well the only way they can leverage their numbers is to use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to do their heavy lifting for them.

Hence the Irish Council Against Blood Sports takes upon itself the role of judging which social events are unacceptable to its moral code, and must therefore be avoided. Those who defy this cultural boycott must face the consequences.

It is surely a bad day for fundamental principles of democracy in Ireland when a handful of activists wield such power through coercion."

ICABS know their numbers on this Island are shall we say limited (me being generous there me thinks). So they are using all their global clout to skew/bolster their supposed numbers to intimidate and bully.
So it boils down to the fact that they are on-line bully's and trolls.
And they think they are the enlightened ones..........

yubabill1

Looks like the ICABS twitterati crawled out of the bomb shelter overnight. From "John";

Phil I shoot and fish, I hate having to support you through my obligatory insurance.
I detest these sadists who ride roughshod over land terrifying animals and setting dogs on hares in the name of sport.
You give all fieldsports a bad name.
Get into the 21st century and clean up your dirty act.

Conmaicne Mara

Just caught up with the comments. Bringing farming into things will only alienate the farming community, it's a poorly thought out move.

EWQuinn

No hunting in England? Well ok, just give it some time then and these guys will be in charge, Darwin in action. Meanwhile everyone knows that death by mange, diseases & automobile is more humane than hunting.

sfakiaman

Posted to indymedia today.

I am treasurer of a rural organisation of fifty or so members that was planning an event to support the Gathering. I have decided, in light of the 'Gathering's' decision to submit to the bullying tactics of ICABS, to withdraw my support and to actively campaign against any involvement with any event linked to the gathering. ICABS in no way represents the informed opinions of the people of Ireland and it would be a travesty to support any organisation which supports or condones ICABS.

Sparks

Seems the comments have now been pulled from the Independent website.

yubabill1

Sparks wrote: »

Seems the comments have now been pulled from the Independent website.

Yeah
They did that with my comment last week, too. Don't know if the policy is 24 hours or what, all the comments were reviewed, so they should be legit.
OK comments still live at the red squirrel story, so they have been deliberately pulled

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/red-squirrels-make-comeback-as-pine-martens-prey-on-greys-29106337.html

wexfordman

What level were the comments at that would warrant them pulling them!

Rosahane

yubabill1 wrote: »

Yeah
They did that with my comment last week, too. Don't know if the policy is 24 hours or what, all the comments were reviewed, so they should be legit.
OK comments still live at the red squirrel story, so they have been deliberately pulled

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/red-squirrels-make-comeback-as-pine-martens-prey-on-greys-29106337.html

Their stated policy is to block comments after 24 hours. I have seen a couple of articles where the comments have been pulled, usually when the neo-liberal agenda is taking a hammering

yubabill1

wexfordman wrote: »

What level were the comments at that would warrant them pulling them!

well, it was pretty obvious a load of supporters had come online (us).

There were 3 naysayers following the twitter call from ICABS but they were swamped by us.

One of them was a clever troll, who said he fished and shot, but then went on to say hares were hunted on horseback and his insurance was compulsory while trying to get his swipe at us.

Sparks

Blocking I could understand (you could argue that keeping the comments system open longer than that turns them from a newspaper into a forum), but pulling them doesn't seem right.

yubabill1

Sparks wrote: »

Blocking I could understand (you could argue that keeping the comments system open longer than that turns them from a newspaper into a forum), but pulling them doesn't seem right.

Yes, agreed but the letter still stands.
Another bolt in the quiver for us to use, we seem to be striking a chord with the public by highlighting violence and intimidation against hunters.

We should mine that seam.