Blowing horns and waving signs that read: "Fight Prejudice, Fight the Ban" and "Fox-Off Blair," about 8,000 demonstrators against plans to outlaw fox-hunting marched along the Brighton seafront, flanked by hundreds of police in riot gear.
Several women dressed in black bathing suits removed their tops and jumped into the chilly Channel waters as part of the protest. They were joined by members of "Surfers 4 Hunting" riding surfboards.
Tempers flared between some protesters, who defend hunting as an essential part of the country's rural heritage and a handful of hunt opponents who denounce the centuries-old pursuit as a barbaric bloodsport.
MPs from the Labour Party overwhelmingly voted on September 16 to ban hunting with hounds on a day that saw some 10,000 hunt supporters protest outside parliament and a handful break in to the historic debating chamber.
Protestors say a ban would cost thousands of rural jobs and is based purely on class prejudice.
