Merseyside Police has revealed a total of 118 people have been arrested following an animal rights protest at the Grand National
Initially the police force confirmed nine people had been detained, but this number has been revised upwards as the day has gone on. The protest - conducted by the Animal Rising group - saw protestors trespass at the historic horse race at Aintree, Liverpool.
Some even glued themselves to the famous jumps at the world-famous race. Merseyside Police said 118 people had been arrested "on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offences in relation to disruption at the Grand National". That's according to the force's Assistant Chief Constable Paul White.
Ass. Ch Const White said: "Today, as you’ve seen, there’s been a significant protest in relation to the running of the Grand National.
"This began earlier this morning, there’s been a number of protests outside and then that resulted earlier on today at about 5pm with numerous people trying to incur onto the course, which we, in partnership with the event organisers, and members of the public as well, have managed in the main to stop and and ultimately the event took place – albeit with a slight delay."
He said protesters tried to access the course from a number of points at the far side of the track.
The police boss added: “The perimeter of the course is four to five kilometres long so you know, that is a significant resource required to try and cover every area of that.
"We put a proportionate policing plan in place and, by and large, we were able to stop the vast majority entering onto the course, a small number did get onto the course, but, very quickly, they were removed, again in partnership with the event organiser, private security and police officers and staff."
He continued: "There were significant numbers. What I can tell you is 118 people have been arrested today in relation to both criminal damage and public nuisance offences – and obviously we’ll process them."
The senior cop said the number included pre-emptive arrests before the race and arrests relating to the protest on the M57, where activists glued themselves to the carriageway.
Animal Rising said several horses fell during the Grand National, which is what their protest had been trying to stop.
Orla Coghlan, spokesperson for the group – which was known as Animal Rebellion until Monday, said: “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, alongside the billions in our food system.
"Today marks not the end, but the beginning, of the summer of Animal Rising. We will be defending animals and nature and creating an unignorable national conversation about our relationship to animals and the natural world."
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