Animal rights protesters attempted to disrupt the Coral Scottish Grand National on Saturday.
Just seven days on from the scenes at Aintree which saw the Grand National delayed by around 15 minutes, a handful of people broke on to the track at Ayr before the scheduled 3.35pm start time of the big race.
However, as soon as they were on the track, the protesters – some pictured sporting pink Animal Rising T-shirts – were tackled by security staff and police and the matter was soon brought under control.
Protesters being detained by police (Jane Barlow/PA)
There was an increased security presence due to last week’s protest where 118 arrests were made by Merseyside Police.
Ayr’s managing director David Brown praised the swift action of the police and security teams on course.
He said: “The police and security dealt with it like the consummate professionals that they are.
“The race went off to time, there was no notable delay and the professionalism of the team up here in Scotland was a credit to them, they dealt with it in a very efficient manner.
“What a great race it was and a great story, for Christian Williams to win it for the second year in a row with Kitty’s Light, after he finished second last year. I think for me this is Scotland’s showpiece race and it all ran to time.”
A tweet from Police Scotland read: “We are responding to a protest which is ongoing at Ayr Racecourse this afternoon. A significant operation is under way to safely remove those involved. A number of arrests have been made and an increased police presence remains at the scene.”
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Officials at Aintree criticised the “reckless actions” of protesters after Merseyside Police arrested over 100 people after they attempted to gain entry to the track ahead of the Randox Grand National.
Dozens of activists climbed fences at Aintree, with at least two affixing themselves to a fence using glue and lock-on devices, climate and animal rights group Animal Rising said.
The protesters breached security fences as the National runners were in the parade ring, causing a delay of around 15 minutes to the feature event, which eventually got under way at 5.29pm.
Merseyside Police said a total of 118 people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offences, with Aintree praising the response of both police and security.
Protesters are detained by police at Aintree (Tim Goode/PA)
Dickon White, who runs the track as North-West Regional Director for Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “There was a short delay to the start time for the Grand National, due to the reckless actions of a small number of individuals.
“The police and our security teams, who form part of a strong visible presence on course, dealt with the incident swiftly and decisively. The pre-race parade was cancelled as a result of the short delay.
“The Randox Grand National Festival sees thousands of people come to enjoy racing and a great atmosphere, with millions following on television, radio and online.
“While the actions of a small number of individuals were intended to disrupt the event, the safety and security of everyone on course will always be our number one priority.”
Over 100 protestors were arrested at Aintree (Tim Goode/PA)
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Paul 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.
He 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.”
Traffic was also blocked by protesters on the M57 motorway at around the same time as activists attempted to get on to the racecourse at Aintree.
North West Motorway Police said on Twitter: “We have a number of people sat on the M57 at junction 2 northbound – motorway is closed.”
National Highways said traffic was stopped in both directions on the motorway – between junctions one and two – shortly before 5.15pm, but by 6pm the southbound carriageway was reopened and northbound traffic was being diverted via a slip road.
There were delays of more than an hour on the road, which runs from the M62 to Aintree.
Pictures showed protesters wearing pink T-shirts on the carriageway.
Out of 39 runners, 17 horses finished the race with the Sandy Thomson-trained Hill Sixteen suffering a fatal fall at the first fence.
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Merseyside Police made multiple arrests at Aintree after protesters broke on to the track ahead of the start of the Randox Grand National.
Climate and animal rights group Animal Rising had threatened to disrupt the four-and-a-quarter-mile showpiece and were protesting from early on Saturday morning outside the track.
As the National runners were in the parade ring, a number of people breached security fences around the Liverpool venue and ran on to the course, delaying the famous race by around 15 minutes.
Dozens of activists climbed fences at Aintree, with at least two affixing themselves to a jump using glue and lock-on devices, Animal Rising said.
Ladders are removed from protesters by police at Aintree (Tim Goode/PA)
They were apprehended by the police, with the race, which was under way at 5.29pm, eventually won by 8-1 favourite Corach Rambler.
Merseyside Police confirmed 23 arrests had been made at the track.
A spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work with The Jockey Club and other partners to keep people safe during the Grand National Festival.
“We are aware of people who planned to protest at today’s event. This has been factored into our plans. We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of views, but criminal behaviour and disorder will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.”
Animal Rising activists protested outside the track (Peter Byrne/PA)
Sarah McCaffrey, a shopworker and student – and one of those disrupting the track – said: “Whether it’s for food or for fun, our use of animals and nature is symbolic of a relationship beyond broken.
“We’re a nation of animal lovers, but the pain these beautiful creatures experience daily does not do that label justice. We need to find ways of loving animals that don’t hurt them.
“I truly believe that we are a nation of animal lovers, every one of us. I know everyone coming to Aintree to view the races today would say they love the horses; however, the suffering experienced by them should shock us all.
“That’s why I’ve decided to put my body between those horses and death on the racecourse, rather than gamble with their lives.”
Protesters are detained by police at Aintree (Tim Goode/PA)
Traffic was also blocked by protesters on the M57 motorway at around the same time as activists attempted to get on to the racecourse at Aintree.
North West Motorway Police said on Twitter: “We have a number of people sat on the M57 at junction 2 northbound – motorway is closed.”
National Highways said traffic was stopped in both directions on the motorway – between junctions one and two – shortly before 5.15pm, but by 6pm the southbound carriageway was reopened and northbound traffic was being diverted via a slip road.
There were delays of more than an hour on the road, which runs from the M62 to Aintree.
Pictures showed protesters wearing pink T-shirts on the carriageway.
Out of 39 runners, 17 horses finished the race with the Sandy Thomson-trained Hill Sixteen suffering a fatal fall at the first fence.
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Officials at Aintree criticised the “reckless actions” of protesters after Merseyside Police arrested over 100 people after they attempted to gain entry to the track ahead of the Randox Grand National.
Dozens of activists climbed fences at Aintree, with at least two affixing themselves to a fence using glue and lock-on devices, climate and animal rights group Animal Rising said.
The protesters breached security fences as the National runners were in the parade ring, causing a delay of around 15 minutes to the feature event, which eventually got under way at 5.29pm.
Merseyside Police said a total of 118 people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offences, with Aintree praising the response of both police and security.
Dickon White, who runs the track as North-West Regional Director for Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “There was a short delay to the start time for the Grand National, due to the reckless actions of a small number of individuals.
“The police and our security teams, who form part of a strong visible presence on course, dealt with the incident swiftly and decisively. The pre-race parade was cancelled as a result of the short delay.
“The Randox Grand National Festival sees thousands of people come to enjoy racing and a great atmosphere, with millions following on television, radio and online.
“While the actions of a small number of individuals were intended to disrupt the event, the safety and security of everyone on course will always be our number one priority.”
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Paul 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.
He 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.”
Traffic was also blocked by protesters on the M57 motorway at around the same time as activists attempted to get on to the racecourse at Aintree.
North West Motorway Police said on Twitter: “We have a number of people sat on the M57 at junction 2 northbound – motorway is closed.”
National Highways said traffic was stopped in both directions on the motorway – between junctions one and two – shortly before 5.15pm, but by 6pm the southbound carriageway was reopened and northbound traffic was being diverted via a slip road.
There were delays of more than an hour on the road, which runs from the M62 to Aintree.
Pictures showed protesters wearing pink T-shirts on the carriageway.
Out of 39 runners, 17 horses finished the race with the Sandy Thomson-trained Hill Sixteen suffering a fatal fall at the first fence.
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The start of the Randox Grand National was delayed after a number of protesters made their way on to the track at Aintree.
Animal Rising had threatened to disrupt the four-and-a-quarter-mile and were protesting from early on Saturday morning outside the track.
As the National runners were in the parade ring, a number of protesters breached security fences around the Liverpool venue and ran on to the course.
The horses were sent back to the pre-parade ring, with the race delayed as police dealt with the intruders.
The track tweeted: “Update on The Randox Grand National: There will be a slight delay to the Grand National race. We will update as soon as possible.”
The jockeys were given the signal to mount at around 5.20pm – over five minutes after the scheduled start time.
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