The York Tories have demanded people “stop jumping to conclusions” after their badger culling social was slammed by a national animal charity.
Bethany Wright, chair of the society, hit back in a post on Facebook after the event was criticised by The League Against Cruel Sports.
The organisation, which is supported by big names like Ricky Gervais and Jo Brand, said the event was “not very funny” and suggested the society “do a bit of studying.”
Charity campaign director Tom Quinn said the York Tories had “made light of a national scandal.”
Images from the event obtained exclusively by York Vision show society members holding t-shirts bearing messages including “cull ‘til the cows come home” and “TB or not TB?”
The event saw Conservative and Unionist Association committee members dress as badgers, while other members hunted them down dressed in their “best country attire.”
Stauart Maule, chair of the University Green Party society also condemned the event, telling this newspaper it was in “poor taste.”
He added: “The badger cull is a cruel and ineffective measure, and is opposed by the UK’s scientific community.”
The York Tories’ Facebook page came under fire from people calling members “pathetic” and “lonely sad people.”
But Wright defended the social, saying it was “tongue in cheek” and said “most of us don’t even support culling.”
“The way some of the members have been spoken to is abusive and disgraceful,” she said.
This is the latest in a line of scandal socials run by the society. In November, a “fox hunting social” attracted criticism from YUSU.
At that event, members mused that “one day” the society would be able to rent out hunting gear. “Sadly not yet.”
Third year politics student Henry Hale said: “I’m for free speech of course. However, this is extremely childish and calculated to try and upset people.”
One member involved in the event, defended the event, saying: “The appeal of the badger culling social is the same as any other fancy dress social: the novelty of dressing up eccentrically.”
The League Against Cruel Sports claims the killing of badgers is a “disastrous policy.” In March 2014, MPs passed a motion stating badger culling had “decisively failed” in a landslide vote. Last August the government authorised the third of four years of badger culling around England.
Now I hardly consider some hastily applied face paint and an ill-fitting garment to be the model of eccentricity in dress. I recall the time, oh several years ago now, that my dear spinsterish sister, known in our parish as something of a character, attended the church fête dressed as the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Tremendous fun was had by all.
I would suggest that you get on with studying whatever it is you are there for and stop wasting time and maybe taxpayers money. Too much larking around at Uni these days,
I don't believe the cull is necessary but if it was it is not a subject for levity anyway. its an extremely sad event.
Dressing up eccentrically….?! Dressing up like your grandfather is hardly eccentric it's 'culturally retarded', showing a complete lack of imagination and originality. But that wasn't the real intention behind this 'social' event. It was to try and appear 'controversial' as though that gave this bunch of sad losers some kind of twisted charisma. It didn't, it just made you look stupid, uncaring and predictable.
Inbred idiots can any one remember when prine Harry got kitted up as an SS officer another inbred pampered spoilt idiot ,There was a time students celebrated rag week and got dressed up and raised money for charity .Happy days!
Though I haven't played sport since our post-Mass croquet matches in summer at seminary in Rome, I do have some contacts within the Sports Union, who inform me that similarly-themed socials, including on fox-hunting, take place on a weekly basis amongst sports societies to no hue and cry from York Vision. Of course, this involving the Conservative Society, who are oft-persecuted, Vision felt they had to have their bite at the cherry, albeit in their own partisan style over a week after the social, when the Daily Mirror and even the Tab pounced on the story within days and wrote it up very well.
Harrow has the highest rates of TB in Europe. Not a badger about. However……there is aconstant flow of immigrants and travellers coming into UK through Heathrow…..perhaps these lunatics would like to trap and cull all visitors coming through London airport.