A cowardly act
Federcaccia expresses its full support and closeness to the President of the Flemish Hunters' Association, Rudi Van Decraen, the latest victim of a long series of violence by self-styled animal rights activists. Rudi Van Decraen was the victim of a serious attack on his hunting reserve The night before last. Around 21:00 PM, he received a notification from his surveillance camera, which monitors the area around his hide. When he reviewed the footage, he saw two masked men, dressed in dark clothes and carrying backpacks near the hide. Since several cases of vandalism to hunting facilities had been reported in recent months, he was suspicious of the situation. Rudi decided to go there to verify what had happened and prevent further damage.
Very serious injuries
What followed, however, as reported on the HVV website, defies belief. When Rudi reached the viewing platform, he was violently thrown to the ground and then savagely beaten. Rushed to the hospital, he suffered very serious injuries: a dislocated right shoulder, three fractures, and several stitches to his face.
Nothing justifies violence
Whatever one's views, and as we have repeatedly argued, including in cases of vandalism and verbal and physical assaults in our country, urging institutions to take a firm stance, nothing can justify such behavior, and violence can never be tolerated in our society. FACE President Laurens Hoedemaker also expressed the Federation's and all its member national associations' full support for Rudi Van Decraen, recalling that "when activism turns into crime, the authorities must act quickly and decisively" (source: FIDC).
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