Police drags off animal rights protesters from Epsom Derby race track

• Police hauled Animal Rebellion protesters off the track at Epsom Derby.
• Emily Wilding Davison threw herself in front of a horse on the same course, marking the 109th anniversary of her death.
• Animal Rebellion protesters also jumped onto the Mall.

At today’s Epsom Derby, police hauled Animal Rebellion protesters off the track.

In the second Platinum Jubilee event to be disrupted by activists this weekend, protesters ran onto the track and laid on the ground.

As members of the Royal Family looked on, six ladies carrying sashes that said ‘Animal Justice’ rushed onto the course.

Read more: Queen Elizabeth shines the platinum jubilee beacon at Windsor Castle

The demonstration aims to make a “definitive message” against the “cruelty and harm” that the horseracing industry symbolizes, according to the campaign group.

On the same day, suffragette Emily Wilding Davison threw herself in front of a horse on the same course, marking the 109th anniversary of her death.

‘Horse racing took the lives of 220 animals on racecourses in the UK every year, and this is just the tip of the iceberg,’ said Orla Coghlan, one of the demonstrators.

‘Every year, almost a billion land animals are slaughtered for food in our country. Animal exploitation and violence are contributing to the global climate disaster and misery. It is self-evident that we must prioritize life above death and put an end to animal exploitation.’

Read more: At Highgrove Gardens, Prince Charles gets into the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee mood by shaking a leg with a fan

During Thursday’s Trooping the Color ceremony, Animal Rebellion protesters also jumped onto the Mall.

As police forces carried him away, one unlucky activist was dragged in horse faces.

‘Whether it’s horse racing, dairy, or the meat business, animal exploitation has no place in our world,’ Emma, an Animal Rebellion spokesman, stated.

‘By moving beyond this and into a plant-based future we can ensure happiness and justice for all life.

‘Transition into a plant-based future would offset 68% of carbon emissions this century, whilst also putting an end to the horrendous suffering animals face right now.’

Read more: Sam Ryder on the red carpet for Platinum Jubilee at the Palace