Animal have issued the following statement following their actions yesterday which saw the start of the Grand National delayed at Aintree
We believe there were 118 arrests of Animal Rising supporters yesterday, with 68 in custody following the action. 5 have been released thus far and 42 were de-arrested and turned out onto the street by police. No one has been charged at this time ”
“The actions taken at Aintree yesterday aimed to prevent harm from coming to horses in The Grand National, with Hill Sixteen sadly falling in the race itself – a death that would’ve been prevented if the race had not been run. Supporters of Animal Rising do not take the risk of arrest lightly, but taking action to protect animals and nature is more important than upholding business-as-usual”
“This is just the start of many peaceful actions to really create a national conversation about our fractured connection with animals and our natural world this summer, whether they result in arrests or not.”
Meanwhile the RSPCA are calling on the British Horseracing Authority to review the circumstances of each of the sad deaths at Aintree, so that we never again exit a ‘festival of racing’ with three dead horses.
Hill Sixteen suffered a heavy fall at the first fence in the Grand National and was subsequently put down after sustaining a broken neck. The horse was the third to die after both Dark Raven and Envoye Special suffered fatal injuries earlier in the meeting.
