Animal rights activists are plotting summer of protests at UK’s horse racing meetings: ‘Animal Rising’ ringleaders threaten more disruption at sporting events after 118 people were arrested over storming of the Grand National
- Militant activists ran onto the track at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday, April 15
- Animal rights campaigners have vowed to conduct further protests this summer
Eco activists have vowed to kick-off a ‘Summer of Animal Rising’ which will see them target more high profile horse racing events and the food industry after storming the Grand National yesterday.
Rights campaigners say the coming the months will see renewed action against factory farming, in which they intend to rescue animals to ‘create a national conversation on our relationship with animals and nature’.
Animal Rebellion, which has now renamed itself Animal Rising, says despite the arrest of more than 100 of its supporters at the horse race in Aintree, it will target further horse racing meetings in Britain this summer.
A total of 118 of the militant activists were arrested on Saturday on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offences after some posing as racegoers ran onto the course.
They delayed the start of the Grand National after attempting to scale fences and breaking onto the grass – only to be carried away by police and security to the delight of spectators.
Police were forced to carry protesters off the racetrack at Aintree on Saturday after they got onto the course
Animal Rising protesters sit on the ground after being detained by police at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday
The BBC reported Orla Coghlan, a spokesperson for the group, as saying: ‘We’re going to be taking action across the whole summer, we’re going to be trying to protect horses at other horse racing events.
‘But we’ll also be doing things like freeing animals in the farming industry, for example in factory farms or in slaughterhouses and trying to take those animals to safety.’
READ MORE HERE: ‘Animal Rising’ protesters masquerading as fans are tackled by hero race staff and police who arrest 118 in chaos
She added: ‘The deaths throughout the Grand National event this weekend add to a heart-breaking list of horses to have died on racetracks this year. Animal Rising was trying to prevent precisely the harm that came to the horses during the race.
‘We have begun a massive conversation about our relationship with animals and nature this weekend, hoping to prevent more harm from coming to these beautiful animals.’
The group’s alleged ringleader Rose Patterson, 33, was detained in Greater Manchester by police on Saturday morning, after an investigation by the Mail On Sunday revealed their plot to disrupt the race and passed details to the authorities.
However, despite the warnings – which Animal Rising themselves put out ahead of the event – some protesters were able to make it onto the track.
Among those detained was Claudia Penna Rojas, who was seen being carried away by four police officers outside Aintree Racecourse and vowed its members would not stop.
She said: ‘We’re here today to stop harm coming to horses at The Grand National and to really create a conversation about our broken relationship with other animals and nature.
‘Half of all horses in slaughterhouses have a racing passport, alongside the billion animals that die in our food system each year, and we need to find ways of loving these animals that doesn’t harm them.
‘This summer Animal Rising will be taking action to protect animals from harm by openly rescuing them from factory farms and putting ourselves between these beautiful creatures and harm.’
Two Animal Rising demonstrators are walked away from the perimeter fence in handcuffs by a police officer on Saturday
The race was won by Corach Rambler after it was delayed slightly by the protest. Pictured: Our Power, ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, in action during the Handicap Chase
Merseyside Police says it arrested 118 people at the racecourse on Saturday after the protests
Police were seen chasing after protesters after they attempted to scale the perimeter fence and get onto the racecourse
Police and private security confiscated a ladder from the demonstrators as they staged their protest
Merseyside Police said the majority of demonstrators were stopped at the perimeter fence thanks to ‘the extensive planning operation we had in place and the quick-thinking actions of our officers on the ground and members of security staff and the public’.
READ MORE HERE: Militant animal rights activists close the M57 motorway near Aintree by gluing themselves to road after ‘Animal Rising’ protesters masquerading as fans stormed the Grand National
The race did finally get underway at around 5.30pm, but at least one horse went down before the first hurdle, as did a second at the second fence. Hill Sixteen, who was running at 66-1, took a fatal fall and sadly is confirmed to have become the third horse to have died at Aintree this weekend after breaking his neck.
Distressing footage of Hill Sixteen’s fall was shared by animal rights activists online, before a Jockey Club spokesperson confirmed the death.
Animal rights groups including PETA were quick to share the news on social media.
Several other jockeys also tumbled at the early stages but their horses continued. Two then left the main track but continued to run alongside the other steeds.
As the race went on, more horses fell to the ground. Two other horses have been rushed away in horse ambulances with life-threatening injuries.
The winner of the Grand National was Corach Rambler, at odds of 8-1.
After the conclusion of the race, Animal Rising posted a video of one of the jumps on social media which showed a horse crashing into the ground at high speed, before lying there unmoving. This is believed to be of Hill Sixteen. Two jockeys were also unseated in the video, but appeared to be unhurt.
The organisation said: ‘THIS IS WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO STOP FROM HAPPENING. Several horses fell during this race – how many will be killed due to their injuries? Absolutely heartbreaking chaos for horses that never got a choice in the matter. MAKE SURE THE GRAND NATIONAL NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.’
The League Against Cruel Sports described the death toll at the Grand National Festival as ‘bleak’ following the deaths.
Emma Judd, head of campaigns and communications at the charity, said: ‘The tragic death of Dark Raven at the Randox Grand National Festival on Saturday – the second death in only three days – shows entertainment and gambling taking precedence over animal welfare and the lives of these horses.
The League said the death toll at the Aintree Festival was now 61 horses since 2000 – with 15 killed in the Grand National, including two last year.
Corach Rambler ridden by Derek Fox wins the Randox Grand National on April 15, 2023
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock praised police for their actions in swiftly stopping the protest
Merseyside Police said it put a ‘robust’ plan in place to stop potential demonstrators getting onto the track
At the National a fire engine was briefly spotted at the scene before the race got underway, but exited the course after police were able to secure the area. Before police reached the protesters, several members of the public appeared to try and remove the activists from the track themselves.
The other activists, most of whom wore pink T-shirts emblazoned with slogans, seemed to have been prevented from getting into Aintree after attempting to use ladders and their hands to climb barriers.
But many of the racegoers didn’t notice the disruption. Christine Maybin, 29, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, at the races with Dwayne McGurk, 31, said: ‘We noticed the delay but we didn’t know it was because of protesters, we thought they were fixing the fences. We only noticed the protesters when we were coming in from the train.’
READ MORE HERE – Tragedy at the Grand National as three horses die: Hill Sixteen becomes the THIRD horse to die at Aintree in fall at the hurdle
Mr McGurk said: ‘The delay didn’t affect us, we just got another drink in. We’ve had an unbelievable day here.’
Others in attendance expressed anger at the delay.
Ex-Tory MP Matt Hancock, who was not at Aintree, tweeted after watching the race: ‘What a race! Glad the attention-seeking protestors trying to ruin the #GrandNational completely failed.
‘Thanks to Merseyside Police and the Jockey Club for keeping people safe. A great result for wonderful British racing.’
Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Paul White, said on Saturday night: ‘The safety and wellbeing of everyone is of paramount concern when dealing with a large-scale public events such as the Grand National.
‘The perimeter of Aintree racecourse covers an extensive area of between 4-5km and obviously poses challenges for policing. However we have been planning the policing of this event for a number of months and we had a robust plan in place to ensure that we had adequate staff to deal with it.
‘Just after 5pm a large number of protesters attempted to gain entry onto Aintree racecourse. The majority were prevented from breaching the boundary fencing thanks to our planning and the work of my officers.
‘I can confirm a total of 118 people have been arrested today.
‘I would like to thank everyone for their patience whilst this matter was dealt with in a safe and appropriate manner.
‘I would also like to take the opportunity to thank mutual aid officers from Greater Manchester Police, North Wales Police, Cheshire Police and Durham Police and our partners at Aintree racecourse, security providers and the Jockey Club for their assistance in dealing with this matter.’
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