Animal Rising activists vow to ‘cancel or severely delay’ Epsom Derby

Vegan animal rights activists have pledged to ‘cancel or severely delay’ the Epsom Derby on Saturday as police brace for disruption, following a High Court injunction which bans protests on the racetrack.

Despite the ruling, a spokesman for environmentalists and animal welfare zealots Animal Rising has said that protesters will attempt to shut down the race in their bid to protect the animals, following disruption caused to the Grand National in April.

The warning came after the Jockey Club, which owns Epsom Downs, was last week granted a High Court injunction against the group, claiming it had made ‘explicitly clear’ it intended to breach security at the Surrey racecourse.

On Friday Surrey Police warned they ‘will not tolerate’ risks to public safety after an Animal Rising spokeswoman told Sky News she would do ‘what’s necessary’, including breaking the law, to protect the animals.

Writing on Twitter, the activist group claimed it was willing to ‘put their bodies on the line’.

There was disruption at the Grand National at Aintree in April when the race was delayed by just over 10 minutes after demonstrators made their way on to the track and had to be removed by police.

In preparation a heavy police presence was seen at the racecourse on Saturday morning, with dozens of officers being briefed at the track. 

Spokesperson for Animal Rising Orla Coghlan told Sky News on Saturday that the group is planning a peaceful protest outside the racecourse, as well as more direct action in a bid to protect the horses due to race today.

Ms Coghlan said: ‘There will be a demonstration outside the front and there will also be people trying to get onto the tracks to protect the horses.

‘We know that the horses are already endangered, we know that a horse dies every other day in British racing, and we know that in the month of May over 20 horses have died.

‘That’s not good enough and that needs to change.’

When asked about statistics which show 0.2 percent of racehorses die during races, Ms Coghlan said: ‘If this was a sport such as gymnastics or tennis and our top athletes were dying every other day it would be completely unacceptable.’

She also slammed the British Horseracing Association and trainers of the late Hill 16, a horse who died after breaking their neck at the first jump in the Grand National, who have tried to blame Animal Rising protesters for the death. 

‘It’s quite horrific for the British Horseracing Association to try and deflect any blame for the death of Hill 16, because we know that every year two to three horses die in the Grand National.

‘I would ask, if the trainers were concerned that the horse was getting spooked, why didn’t they pull Hill 16 from the race, if this is really about horse welfare? I don’t believe it is.’

She continued: ‘Wherever horses are being harmed there will always be people willing to put themselves in front of that harm’s way. 

‘I absolutely don’t doubt that the owners and the jockeys love their horses, I’m not questioning that at all, but I think their actions are not in line with our values. 

‘We’re whipping these horses to the finish line, if we are putting them in harm’s way so that they die every other day.

‘We know that the British public are on our side.’

She added that the safety of the horses and the safety of the jockeys is the group’s main priority. 

Speaking on Friday, a spokesman for Surrey Police said that, while they would help support peaceful protests, they would ‘not tolerate’ criminal activity or risks to the public.

They said: ‘The guiding principles of policing protests are the safety of protesters, the public and police officers involved, preventing criminal behaviour or disorder and de-escalating tensions.

‘We do not comment on officer numbers for operational reasons, but our officers are well-trained in responding to protests and will be on hand throughout the day to police the event.

‘Where lawful, we will seek to facilitate peaceful protests.

‘Any criminal activity or risk to public safety will not be tolerated, and we will take robust action in response to this.’

Speaking yesterday, ahead of the planned protest on Saturday, Nathan McGovern, of Animal Rising, said: ‘We are looking to continue the conversation that we started at the Grand National about our broken relationship with animals and nature.

‘On the ground we are looking to cause the cancellation or severe delay of the event so that everyone in the country has this discussion.’

Jockey Club officials fear the protest will endanger participants, racegoers and horses, although they said they do not dismiss the right to peaceful protest and have offered Animal Rising an area near the racecourse’s entrance to demonstrate.

The injunction granted by High Court judge Sir Anthony Mann bans people from going on to the racetrack and carrying out other acts with the intention and/or effect of disrupting the races.

Such acts include intentionally causing objects to enter the racetrack, entering the parade ring, entering and/or remaining on the horses’ route to the parade ring and to the racetrack without authorisation and intentionally endangering any person at Epsom Downs racecourse during the two-day Derby Festival.

Those breaching the court order may be subject to contempt of court proceedings and fined or jailed. 

Ms Coghlan told Sky News the group had no intention of attempting to disrupt the race once it has gotten underway.