Article written on 22 January, 1995.
The latest news from Shoreham, Sussex, is that the port are refusing to renew the export licence, which expires late February. In the meantime, animals are still going through there, so although it is now more important to put pressure on Brightlingsea, don't forget Shoreham, as we want an end to this NOW, not later.
Both veal calves and sheep have gone through Shoreham, although I believe the emphasis has been on veal calves, the by-products of the dairy industry. The ship, the "Northern Cruiser", is a ro-ro ferry, where the trucks are carried across with the animals still aboard, to resume the road trip when they reach Dieppe, France.
The demonstrators come from all backgrounds, and most have never been on protests before, which is an unusual aspect to these demonstrations. "I thought we lived in a democracy, a free society. How rudely our eyes have been opened," commented one Shoreham resident, after days of witnessing the police violence and attitudes.
Shoreham has seen the presence of police forces from outside Sussex - including the Metropolitan and the Essex, which many regard as the 1st and 2nd most violent forces in the country. One Sussex policemen said that "the Met are trained to go in first, and ask questions later", as if that excused the Met's violence.
To avoid any confusion: Shoreham Harbour is not actually at Shoreham, but a couple of miles away, at Hove!