animal rights Protesters disrupted one of Britain’s biggest horse races on Saturday when they entered the field and tried to hold on to one of the fences.
Several protesters could be seen near the fence at Aintree Racecourse in north-west England before the start of the Grand National, the UK’s equivalent of the Kentucky Derby.
The horses were removed from the parade ground after an announcer told attendees of the delay.
Approximately 15 minutes after the race began at 5:15 p.m. local time (12:15 p.m. ET), the race started, and Corach Rambler won.
Earlier in the day, around 50 protesters, carrying banners and flags, had demonstrated outside the field. Many carried the logo of Animal Rising, an activist group.
Before the event, the group said in social media posts that it intended to «close» the race.
“We are here today to prevent harm to horses at the Grand National and to really create a conversation about our broken relationship with other animals and nature,” Claudia Penna Rojas, a spokeswoman for Animal Rights, said in a statement Saturday.
“We need to find ways to love these animals that don’t hurt them,” he said.
Before the start of the race, two people were arrested outside the racecourse on suspicion of conspiring to cause a public nuisance, Merseyside Police said in a statement.
Another woman, 33, from the London area, was arrested on Saturday in connection with possible coordinated disruption activities at the racecourse, the force said.
“We are aware that some people plan to protest at the event. This has been included in our plans,” the force said. «We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of opinion, but criminal behavior and disorder will not be tolerated and will be dealt with firmly.»
While Aintree Racecourse declined to comment on the extent of its security arrangements ahead of the Grand National, a spokesman said it was working with police who had a «robust» security plan.