12 condemnations of the QC who used a baseball bat to kill a fox
On Boxing Day, as a large proportion of the country lay sprawled in new pyjamas wondering if a breakfast Baileys on a Chocolate Orange would count as one of their five-a-day, Remain campaigner Jolyon Maugham was making himself very unpopular with animal-lovers.
Already this morning I have killed a fox with a baseball bat. How's your Boxing Day going?
— Jo Maugham QC (@JolyonMaugham) December 26, 2019
When he began to read tweeters’ reactions, he tried to explain himself – unsuccessfully.
Sorry to those upset by my tweet. My chickens were very distressed by the fox – both before and after I'd despatched it – and I wanted it out of the way quickly.
— Jo Maugham QC (@JolyonMaugham) December 26, 2019
I was slightly shocked by the whole tooth-and-claw experience when I tweeted and that was what I was trying to convey. But my tweet, one of a number about keeping chickens in urban London, should have conveyed that better.
— Jo Maugham QC (@JolyonMaugham) December 26, 2019
And these were the reactions he was reading.
1.
This is likely a criminal offence, contravening the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996. You cannot bludgeon to death a fox that is merely caught in chicken wire.
It is, without a doubt, inhumane and cruel. It is also, quite possibly, entirely criminal. https://t.co/qjdP377eDY
— Lawrence Newport Avant-garde G (@Law_Rhetoric) December 26, 2019
2.
Sorry to hear you have done this Jolyon. I am hugely disappointed in you and you have lost my respect. Couldn’t you have sent for the RSPCA to untangle it and release it? Just because you keep chickens doesn’t mean you have to destroy wildlife.
— Undercover Cheshire Housewife (@UndercoverChesh) 26 December 2019
3.
This is distressing to hear. We'd urge anyone with firsthand knowledge to report it to us by calling 0300 1234 999.
— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) 26 December 2019
People were naturally baffled by the surreal event and shared their own versions of his tweet.
4.
Already this morning, clad in nothing but a poncho and a pair of roller skates, I have smashed up 12 Range Rovers with a golf club.
How’s your Friday going?#KeepTheBan #BanFoxHunting #FoxingDayMassacre pic.twitter.com/vxKxf3m8QX— Nigel Nicholson (@blackyellowbrd) December 27, 2019
5.
Already this morning I have fisted a swan while dressed as Carmen Miranda. How's your Boxing Day going?
— Louis Barfe (@AlanKelloggs) December 26, 2019
6.
Already this morning I have garrotted a badger with a jockstrap, dressed in an Anne Summers ensemble. How’s your Boxing Day going?
On Jolyon Maugham and the Curious Case of the Fox in the Chicken Coop https://t.co/JjTJusPJTd
— wildwomanwritingclub (@wwwritingclub) December 26, 2019
7.
Already this morning I have killed The Hon. Charles James Fox with a lacrosse stick – how's your Saturday going? pic.twitter.com/Nk5QI6n93V
— Michael Moran (@TheMichaelMoran) December 28, 2019
For several hours, #JolyonTheFoxKiller trended on Twitter.