More than 40 animal rights activists have been de-arrested after a large number of protesters attempted to gain entry to the Aintree Racecourse track, delaying the start of the flagship Grand National, campaign group Animal Rising said. Merseyside Police arrested 118 people on Saturday after scores of activists climbed fences, with at least two fixing themselves to a jump using glue and lock-on devices according to the animal rights group.
Animal Rising spokesperson Nathan McGovern said in a statement on Sunday: “We believe there were 118 arrests of Animal Rising supporters yesterday, with 68 in custody following the action. Five have been released thus far and 42 were de-arrested and turned out onto the street by police.
"No one has been charged at this time. The actions taken at Aintree yesterday aimed to prevent harm from coming to horses in the Grand National, with Hill Sixteen sadly falling in the race itself – a death that would have been prevented if the race had not been run.
