Bahama Times

Saturday, Jun 10, 2023

Grand National: Police to deal 'robustly' with any protest

Grand National: Police to deal 'robustly' with any protest

Police have said they will deal "robustly" with any disruption after a newspaper report about an alleged plot to stop the Grand National.

A Mail on Sunday investigation said the Animal Rebellion group was aiming to "storm security fences" before the main race in Liverpool on 15 April.

They claimed protestors plan to form a barricade across Aintree Racecourse.

Animal Rebellion said they were launching their "biggest campaign" this April.

In a statement, Rose Patterson, from the group, said the Mail investigation was "not going to stop" members from "beginning the crucial conversation about our broken relationship with other animals".

"The Grand National is symbolic of this broken relationship," she added.


'Peaceful action'


Two horses died in last year's Grand National race, which is the climax of the annual three-day racing festival at Aintree.

There have been four fatalities from 356 runners in the nine Grand Nationals raced since safety changes were introduced in 2012.

Animal Rebellion, which calls for an end to horse racing, said: "This April we are launching the biggest campaign to protect animals and the climate this country has ever seen."

They said more than 500 people had "signed up for training to take peaceful action this summer".

In a statement, Merseyside Police said: "We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of views, but public order or criminal offences will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly."

They added they had been working with The Jockey Club "for a number of months… to ensure that any necessary plans and processes are in place to deal with any incidents that may arise".

Race organisers at The Jockey Club have declined to comment.

Sam Waley-Cohen on Noble Yeats (right) won the 2022 Grand National


Animal Rebellion has risen to prominence in recent months after protests at high-end restaurants, dairy suppliers and laboratories.

They say they want a "plant-based future" and have called for an end to horse racing, animal farming and fishing.

The Mail investigation said more than 100 people have signed up to the attempt to disrupt the Grand National and some activists had conducted two reconnaissance missions around the racecourse.

They claimed the group planned to use ladders to get over the security barrier and to cut through the fence before the main race at the end of the three-day festival.

A key event in the national sporting calendar, the Grand National attracted a peak of 7.5 million viewers in the UK and more than 12 million bets last year.

There have been small protests outside the course regularly and occasionally individuals have got on the track itself.

In 1993, the Grand National was delayed after an animal rights protest, with the race eventually voided after a number of false starts.

The race was postponed in 1997 when 60,000 people had to evacuate the course following an IRA bomb threat minutes before the start.

It was eventually held two days later.

This year's event coincides with the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which led to the deaths of 97 football fans after a crush at a game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's ground.

Race organisers said they plan to hold a commemoration for the victims at the course on the day of the Grand National.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bahama Times
Close
0:00
0:00
US and European Intelligence Agencies Uncover Evidence of Ukrainian Role in Terror Attack on Nord Stream Pipeline
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
Drone Attack on Moscow's Wealthiest Neighborhoods Suspected to be Launched by Ukraine
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
Prominent Hacker Forum RaidForums Suffers Substantial Data Breach
Nvidia CEO Huang says firms, individuals without AI expertise will be left behind
WPP Revolutionizes Advertising with NVIDIA's AI Powerhouse
Two US Employees Fired For Chasing Robbers Out Of Store As They Broke ''Company Policy''
If you donated to BLM, you got played
Pfizer, the EU, and disappearing ink - Smoke, Mirrors, and the Billion-Dose Pfizer Vaccine Deal: EU's 'Open Secret
Actor Tom Hanks told Harvard University graduates to be superheroes in their defense of truth and American ideals, and to resist those who twist the truth for their own gain
The Sussexes' Royal Rebound: Could Harry and Meghan Markle Return to the UK?
A provocative study suggests: Left-Wing Extremism and its Unsettling Connection to Psychopathy and Narcissism
France Arrests 10 on Suspicion of Failing to Respond in Time to Migrant Drowning
Neuralink Receives FDA Approval for First-in-Human Clinical Study
Is Saudi Arabia the holiest place in the world? Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions from "The Mount Sinai Stand" Discovered in Saudi Arabia
Ukrainian Intelligence Official Admits to Assassination Attempts on Putin
Bernard Arnault Loses $11.2 Billion in One Day as Investors Fear Slowdown in US Growth Will Reduce Demand for Luxury Products
Russian’s Wagner Group leader: “I am not a chef, I am a butcher. Russia is in danger of a revolution like in 1917.”
TikTok Sues Montana Over Law Banning the App
Ron DeSantis Jumps Into 2024 Presidential Race, Setting Up Showdown With Trump
Last Walmart in North Portland Closing Down
Florida's DeSantis seeks to disqualify judge in Disney case
Talks between US House Republicans and President Biden's Democratic administration on raising the federal government's $31.4tn debt ceiling have paused
Biden Administration Eyeing High-Profile Visits to China: The Biden Administration is heating things up by looking into setting up a series of top-level visits to Beijing by top officials in the coming months
New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump’s claim documents he took were automatically declassified
A French court of appeals confirmed former President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-year jail term for corruption and influence peddling
Debt Ceiling Crises Have Unleashed Political Chaos
Weibao Wang, a former software engineer at Apple, was charged with stealing trade secrets related to autonomous systems, including self-driving cars
Mobile phone giant Vodafone to cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years as new boss says its performance not good enough
Elon Musk compares George Soros to Magneto, the supervillain from the Marvel Comics series.
Warren Buffett Sells TSMC Shares Over Concerns About Taiwan's Stability
New Study Finds That Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Is a Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 Patients Who Require Ventilator Assistance
The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines calls the British monarchy "an absurdity" he wants to remove in his lifetime
King Charles III being crowned.
'Godfather Of AI' Geoffrey Hinton Quits Google To Warn Of The Tech's Dangers
A Real woman
Vermont Man Charged with Stalking After Secretly Tracking Woman with Apple AirTag
Elon Musk Statements About Tesla Autopilot Could Be 'Deepfakes,' Lawyers Claim. Judge Evette Pennypacker Does Not Understand How Far and Advanced This Technology Became
Ukraine More Prepared for Counterattack as Reinforcements Arrive
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Discuss Migration, Defence, and Ukraine
AT&T's Successful Test of Satellite-Based Phone Call Raises Possibility of Widespread Coverage
CNN: "Joe Biden is asking for four more years — when 74% of Americans think the country is heading the wrong way“
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Cuts Short Live TV Interview Due to Health Issue
US Congresswoman threaten Twitter Files journalist with arrest
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh slams New York Times' pro-government stance and treatment of sources
Enough is enough: it's time to end the war in Ukraine. While Russia may be to blame for starting it, Russia is not the one refusing to stop it
Fox News Settles their case with Dominion Voting Systems for a staggering $787.5 MILLION
AG decries scapegoating and rushed lawmaking by government
The land of the free violence
×