Racing fights back against dangerous saboteurs

Last weekend, the Mail on Sunday reported that the same militant group of animal rights activists which tried to halt the Grand National is now planning to sabotage the Epsom Derby on 3 June.

Activists from Animal Rising boasted that they are planning to use glue and ‘lock-on devices’ to secure themselves to the perimeter fencing at the famous racecourse in Surrey.

The organisers said they have already conducted secret reconnaissance missions of the track to pinpoint security weaknesses.

However, the Daily Mail reports that activists could be jailed for contempt of court after the Jockey Club announced it is applying for a High Court injunction.

The application in London tomorrow, Friday 26 May, will seek to prohibit individuals from blocking the racetrack, entering the parade ring or any other acts that could disrupt proceedings.

Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale said: “We respect everyone's right to peaceful and lawful protest and, with that in mind, have offered Animal Rising a space for this purpose directly outside the racecourse during the Derby Festival.

“However, Animal Rising has made it explicitly clear that it intends to breach security and access the track itself in an attempt to stop racing taking place and it is our duty and obligation to do everything we can to protect everyone's safety and prevent a repeat of the illegal and reckless protests we saw at Aintree in April.”

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, from the Countryside Alliance, added Animal Rising - an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion – “routinely crosses the line between what any rational person would consider to be legitimate protest and dangerous stunts.”

He said: “When the lives of horses, riders and spectators are even remotely put at risk by their selfish behaviour, it is no longer a protest, but an act of disorder.”