Springwatch star Chris Packham banned from shooting fair because of “risk of violence”

Springwatch star Chris Packham is one of Britain’s best-loved TV presenters.

But outspoken Chris, 58, has reportedly been banned from a shooting festival because of fear of a backlash from shooting enthusiasts.

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Chris was due to speak in a debate at The Game Fair, the country’s biggest shooting festival, with fellow environmental campaigner Mark Avery.

But according to The Mirror the pair were told their appearance was cancelled, and

A leaked email, Chris said, suggested they “might be at risk of violence”. But he rubbished the claim.

Here’s a report I’ve had from the @TheGameFair ‘debate’ (sic) with @skylarkwarrior @AndrewGilruth & #youforgotthebirds Ian Gregory . ‘No facts . Just four old blokes making personal attacks on people . . . plenty of spare seats . . . at least you would have filled the tent’ pic.twitter.com/qkbMZsNeW4

— Chris Packham (@ChrisGPackham) July 26, 2019

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Chris said: “It appears the Countryside Alliance, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Game Conservation and Wildlife Trust lobbied organisers and told us they did not want us to go. They got us banned, why’s that?

“I don’t think it’s because they were worried about us getting beaten up – it’s a public event, we were promised security.

“I think it’s because they’re terrified of the truth being told on their own patch, and they keep being found out.”

NO @ShootingTimes it’s not an ‘attack’ & NO – ‘sights’ have not been ‘set on a ban’ so why are you intent upon generating hysteria in your readership ? @WildJustice_org has just asked for an assessment of the impact of releasing 50m birds into our countryside . Reasonable I’d say pic.twitter.com/936Pi4FGlw

— Chris Packham (@ChrisGPackham) July 27, 2019

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The British Association for Shooting and Conservation hit back, saying: “It’s right that the Game Fair doesn’t give a platform for an extremist to air his anti-shooting views.

“Mr Packham uses his celebrity status granted by his position with the BBC to misrepresent the facts about shooting and its clear value to the environment and conservation.”

Chris has also been embroiled in a spat with Shooting Times, which he and his organisation Wild Justice accuse of whipping up hysteria over its criticism of pheasant shooting.