A picture can say so much. The campaign to abolish live hare coursing in Ireland dates to the mid 1960s. This picture, which appeared in the Irish Times newspaper of February 6th, 1986, captured a fleeting moment from our campaign. It was taken outside Powerstown park racecourse, in Clonmel, County Tipperary, where a three day national "festival" of hare coursing was in progress. A protest had started, with more than two hundred people holding placards, silently walking up and down the roadside opposite the racecourse. But when some protesters began chanting: "ban coursing" "end this vile cruelty" etc, Gardai (Irish police), who had been standing guard at the entrance to the venue, immediately rushed at the chanting protesters, jostling and taunting them. When the chanting continued, the officers began removing the non-silent protesters from the picket line as if they posed a threat to peace or public safety, which they didn't. In the picture you can see a monk (who was anti bloodsports!), remonstrating with the police over their heavyhandedness. Hard to believe this picture was taken 32 years ago. Later that same year, police raided the homes of many campaigners in Ireland suspected of illegally releasing hares held captive for coursing and attempted sabotage of hare coursing venues. I wrote about that and my own experience of the State Heavy Gang deployed to suppress the anti coursing campaign, in my book Bad Hare Days. (The caption under the Irish Times picture reads: Brother Columbanus, OFM, a member of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports protests as gardai remove a demonstrator at the all-Ireland finals of the hare coursing season in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, yesterday, - (Photograph: Noel Gavin) The campaign continues. Sincere thanks to all who have signed the petition. Some day, hare coursing will be banned in Ireland. In the meantime the truth about this squalid bloodsport needs to reach, and influence, the politicians who could, if they wished or had the courage, end the sad plight of the gentle Irish Hare, a creature whose only "crime" was to have been born in a country that permits this outrage. Sharing the following video would help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D58qbzC-GI4