Protests in Aintree: Traditional race brings three dead horses and 118 arrests

Protests at Aintree
Traditional race brings three dead horses and 118 arrests

The Grand National in Aintree is one of the most traditional races in equestrian sport. But the spectacle is controversial, horses are killed again and again. This is also the case with this year’s edition, which is accompanied by massive protests.

The traditional Grand National horse race at Aintree racecourse near Liverpool has been overshadowed by massive protests by animal rights activists and the death of two horses. Some activists glued themselves to obstacles at the racecourse, climbed fences and gained access to the racecourse. According to Merseyside Police in Liverpool, 118 people have been provisionally arrested. This includes arrests made before the start of the race and arrests made by people stuck to the carriageway of the M57 causing more than an hour’s delay to traffic.

The main race started 15 minutes late. “We respect the right to peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression, but criminal behavior and disturbances will not be tolerated and decisive action will be taken,” said a police spokesman. After the disruption, racehorse Hill Sixteen fell fatally at the first fence, as reported by Sky Sports News. Another horse, Dark Raven, also died after a race on Saturday afternoon, Envoye Special died on Thursday, the first day of the three-day festival.

The steeplechase has been heavily criticized by animal rights activists for decades, despite the fact that the obstacles have been relaxed and the number of participants has been reduced, because over the years numerous jockeys have fallen heavily with their horses and animals have died. Some irritating TV pictures went around the world. According to animal welfare organizations, 61 horses have died at the event since 2000.

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