Question for Mark Hodson

To defend oneself in situations like this?

Is it because a woman was involved that these savage cowards decided to attack, knowing she didn't have the strength to defend herself?

I would say in a situation like this , the best way you can ,anything at hand or walk away if you can .
You can`t think about the law or what is right or wrong ,if you have to defend yourself anything goes .

Ron,
I think this is a very important issue, as someone is going to end up seriously injured or dead in the future.

If the report on the number of people involved is correct, I wonder weather or not it could be classed as a civil disturbance?

In such circumstances, to pack up and leave the venue was I feel certainly the best course of action. If the people involved were throwing stones at the anglers, you cannot defend yourself, so it was I feel the best course of action.

It does spring to mind that IF the people involved had indeed been frustrated by the lack of opportunity to ?demonstrate? the previous day, it is a large group to camp up over night, it sounds like local knowledge may have been needed to target this particular venue?and logistically move the ?large group? around.

Within any group which is acting in this manner, there are usually only a very small number of leaders, then it ripples out as regards how much action the rest of the group are willing to become involved with.

Because of the large number of people involved, it is incredibly difficult to formulate any kind of ?self defence?.

For me as an individual, my own course of action is already decided by past experience, my own responses would I know be outside of the law, but if your life is in immanent danger, and the police are not going to instantly appear, then I am at peace with the repercussions.

I fear for the older anglers in a situation like this, but one thing is for sure, if this ?incident? does start to become a more common occurrence, the numbers shall at some stage be equal, there shall be no media present, and it wont just be retaliation with a whack from a riding crop.

A very heavy bankstick comes to mind, but then you don't use them when fly fishing.


You used to be able to buy spearheads to replace the screw-in but button once it had been removed. The spear was used to stick the rod into the ground whilst you changed lures. Even a maniac would have to think twice before charging against those!


"Well, it was an accident, officer."

Many club fishing locations are isolated thus I am concerned about security both personal and for our vehicles. Do we know what the police are doing about this incident? Have they produced any advice for fishermen and women?

I would like to know what one is allowed to do in this country. I know what I would have done in SA because I always carried a loaded piece whenever I went fishing. And I am NOT joking!

But the law is different here.

The Tony Martin case is still fresh in my memory and all the bloke was doing was defending his home, even though he did not have a permit for his gun.

The way I see it is if it had been me and I would have stuck one of them with a spear I possess that screws into my landing net handle, it would be me that would go to prison and not the criminals.

That's what I am asking of someone like Mark Hodson, or maybe Nigel Connor.

As I see it, everyone in this country has the human right to persue a completely legitimate pastime without let or hindrance from any other party.

That is a basic human right and anyone doing so must be able to defend not only what they are doing but to defend their property and life if threatened.

If you look up such websites as the Animal Liberation Front, you will see that some of the ringleaders actually stating that they would be prepared to kill other human beings. One of the leaders of the ALF was once asked if a sick child or a healthy dog was in danger of being drowned, who would he save?

"The healthy dog" he answered.

I don't think the people of Britain take the ALF, Peta and other animal rights thugs seriously enough. These are terrorists of the highest order, just as bad as Al Qaeda.

I think there is a need to define/clarify, as I understand that you may use 'reasonable force'
to defend yourself.
My interpretation, for what it's worth, is that if somebody comes at you with violence in mind, you may use no more force, than he/she is using.

That means that you could end up dead Fred!

Yep!
That's the potential problem with fighting back.

Question; what if we had taken that attitude towards Hitler when he tried to invade our country?

Maybe the Law Lords should now be prosecuting the last of the few Spitfire and Hurricane pilots left alive for shooting down those poor Nazis in the 40s!

That's my interpretation,that's not to say, I would stick to that interpretation!

Must get a weed cutter attachment for my landing net handle. Then if any of the scum come calling i can give them a free hair cut and vasectomy at the same time.

Were where the police. Some of these angles would of had a mobile phone. Also if they had been hanging( i wish) around since the day before why were they not dispersed.

I have no objection to people protesting and pleading with me to stop fishing as i enter a fishery. It will never happen as fishing is my religion. Try telling a Catholic, Jew or Muslim to stop.

I can promise them one thing if any of them break one of my rods they will be nursing a broken neck.

Rest assured if there is more than one able bodied person fishing they wouldn't have the guts to attack them, they are cowards and as such do not put themselves at risk.

Old men fishing on their own, young lads, ladies (as in this case) are considered fair game but never young fit men you will have noticed in the past. This is not the first time this has happened and I don't suppose it will be the last but one thing is definite, the police will be very noticeable by their absence so never rely on them for assistance.

I hate anti's with every fibre of my ageing body and wish them nothing but ill.

"The police will be very noticeable by their absence, so never rely on them for assistance".

Come on Mark, if I killed a person who attacked me, would you arrest me?

Calm down lads, it gets very emotive when weaker individuals are targetted, but just use the law. There's a lot to do regarding combatting anti-fishing organisations, these are clearly ill-informed idiots. Best to concentrate your energies into a positive image for the sport and educate. I'm against Fox hunting for example, but I know my stuff (my grandfather was a master of the hounds) and make a very well informed decision. On such occasions as this attack,I would happily drown the cretins, but the root of it is a lack of awareness on their part. Don't play into their hands.

You know he would Ron,he's duty bound,would charges be pressed, is the question to ask.

It's easy to say: "Use The Law".

But what do I do when confronted with a murderous mob of antis, which might happen at any time?

Defend yourself if you can, with whatever means are available too you.
The Law will be on yourside if you are surrounded by the bodies of a murderous mob..

"A very heavy bankstick comes to mind"

"The way I see it is if it had been me and I would have stuck one of them with a spear I possess that screws into my landing net handle, it would be me that would go to prison and not the criminals."

"Must get a weed cutter attachment for my landing net handle. Then if any of the scum come calling i can give them a free hair cut and vasectomy at the same time"

"You used to be able to buy spearheads to replace the screw-in but button once it had been removed. The spear was used to stick the rod into the ground whilst you changed lures. Even a maniac would have to think twice before charging against those!"

"I can promise them one thing if any of them break one of my rods they will be nursing a broken neck."


It's alright saying drown the cretins or have a go with a bankstick --but if you are on your own fishing --I don't care how young or fit you are, you wouldn't stand a chance against 30 (which is how many there were in this instance)activists--and if you don't posess a mobile phone which (believe it or not) some of us don't --What DO you do ???

Bloody good point Ed!

What do you do?

Could the legal eagles and the members of our illustrious police force answer this question?

Come on, answer it for God's sake, and that is no blasphemy.

And if you phone 999, the chances are that it will take up to 10 minutes for the cops to get there, and then you might be dead!