A Prayer for the League: When Mocking Muslims and Wildlife Go Hand in Hand
On 19 June 2024, Astrid Clifford — Acting Chair of the League Against Cruel Sports, no less — decided to share a post on X (formerly Twitter) that, even by the League’s crumbling standards, is a masterclass in poor judgement.
The original tweet featured a photo of thousands of Muslims praying at Mecca during Hajj, captioned with a smug taunt directed at Just Stop Oil and Stonehenge campaigners:
“Have you considered trying that here? It’s in Saudi Arabia. Plenty of oil for you to stop there. Think bigger.”
Astrid reposted it. No context. No caveats. Just: share and sneer.
This would be a curious act from any professional adult. But from the Chair of an animal welfare charity — one with a long tradition of public protest and resistance — it suggests a more toxic cocktail: hostility to protest, disdain for climate justice, and, to cap it all, the thoughtless amplification of a post that uses Muslim prayer as a punchline. Let’s unpack.
1. A Holy Image, Turned Political Meme
One does not need to be Muslim to feel a wince of discomfort at seeing an image of religious worship — of a sacred moment for millions — used as a visual punchbag in a smug climate-trolling meme. But Clifford, with her effortless repost, seemed to find it all jolly entertaining.
This isn’t “just a repost.” It’s a signal. A message that says: mocking Muslims is fine, as long as you also manage to take a swipe at climate protesters while you’re at it. That this came from the acting Chair of a national charity raises a simple question: what values exactly is the League upholding these days?
2. Mocking Climate Protest, While Wildlife Dies
If Clifford’s repost was meant to undermine Just Stop Oil and those fighting the Stonehenge tunnel, then the message is clear: she stands against them. Which is awkward, because the League — still, on paper — claims to care about wildlife.
Climate change is one of the biggest threats to animal life. Wild mammals, birds, insects — all face extinction-level pressures not from hunting alone, but from extreme heat, wildfires, floods, droughts and habitat collapse. The idea that the head of a wildlife charity would side-eye climate campaigners should be laughable. Instead, it’s lethal.
Meanwhile, the £1.7bn Stonehenge tunnel Clifford’s chosen post appears to mock? It was to be driven straight through one of the richest chalk grassland ecosystems in the UK. Roadbuilding kills more foxes, badgers and birds every month than hunting with hounds ever did. But apparently that’s fine — as long as no one glues themselves to the tarmac about it.
3. So Much for the Right to Protest
The League Against Cruel Sports made its name through activism. Direct action. Protests outside hunts. Demos at Westminster. Now it’s led by someone who openly shares disdain for those doing much the same in the name of climate or conservation.
Just Stop Oil are not the League’s rivals. Nor are the campaigners seeking to protect Stonehenge’s ancient landscape. They are allies — or would be, under any leadership with a shred of political imagination. But under Clifford, they are the butt of a bad joke.
4. Dog Whistles and Fox Hunts
And then there’s the subtext. Because however one slices it, there is no neutral way to post an image of Muslims at prayer alongside the words “Think bigger.” There’s no clever defence, no charitable reading.
Was Clifford using the image to say: “Why don’t you protest over there?” Was this about oil production? Was it just a cheap Islamophobic gag dressed up as critique?
Whatever the intent, the result is a repost that feeds anti-Muslim sentiment. It uses a sacred image in service of a political mockery. It’s lazy, it’s ugly, and it has no place in the feed — or leadership — of any serious organisation.
If this were a one-off, perhaps it could be chalked up to carelessness or poor judgment. But this is no isolated incident. It’s part of a pattern — one of many questionable posts shared or endorsed by Astrid Clifford and quietly tolerated by the League. We’ll be exposing more of them in the weeks and months ahead.
5. The Silence of the League
The League was made aware of the post. Its Senior Management Team, including then-Acting CEO Chris Luffingham and trustee Ashleigh Fiona Brown, said — and did — nothing.
That silence is an endorsement. It suggests the tweet didn’t trouble them. That they saw no racism, no political incoherence, no moral conflict.
And let’s take a moment for Mr Luffingham. Once billed as the Green Party’s Campaign Director for the 2015 General Election — a campaign so ineffective it barely registered on the electoral Richter scale — he now floats through League leadership like a deflated armband in a paddling pool.
These days, he also chairs the board of trustees at Trinity Community Arts in Bristol, where he is described as bringing “strategic oversight and commitment to community engagement” in support of a mission to foster “creativity, inclusivity, and social impact.” One assumes that doesn’t include reposts mocking Muslims and climate activists — unless, of course, “inclusivity” now means everyone except the people you don’t like.
Luffingham’s principles? Unclear. Interest in the charity’s core mission? Remote. But the salary? Oh, he’s very engaged with that.
As for Ashleigh Fiona Brown, who works for the RSPCA — one might expect a fellow animal welfare professional to speak out against a leadership figure ridiculing those trying to protect wildlife and the climate. Yet she, too, remained silent.
The same League whose members once stood bravely against Boxing Day hunts and protested the cruelty of the Waterloo Cup — often in the face of hostility and abuse — now nods along as its Chair shares bigoted memes and mocks those defending the planet.
6. Sanctuaries at Risk
The League operates sanctuaries across the South West — including the storied Baronsdown in Somerset. These are habitats already vulnerable to climate impacts, air pollution, road encroachment, and policy neglect. Yet its Chair sneers at those resisting the very forces endangering these sites.
One has to wonder: how do the deer, foxes and badgers fare under such leadership? Are they expected to adapt their behaviour, perhaps take to social media themselves?
Conclusion: Resign. And Take Your Values With You.
Astrid Clifford has shown herself unfit to lead any organisation that claims to care about animals, people, or basic decency. Her repost was not just offensive. It was revelatory.
It revealed the values — or lack of them — guiding the League. It showed a leadership more concerned with sniping at activists than protecting wildlife. More comfortable with culture war memes than conservation.
The League once stood for something. Now it can’t even stand up to its own Chair.
It’s time for Clifford to go. And every trustee who nodded along in silence should follow her out.
