An animal rights protest group stormed a stage and glued themselves to gates during an event at the Royal Highland Show, just outside Edinburgh today.
Members of Animals Rising gained access to the stage, where the Golden Shears World Championship was being held, at roughly 1.45pm today. Pictures from the scene show the protesters dressed in pink t-shirts reading 'Animal Rising: For All Life' and holding up signs with 'facts' about the farming industry.
Other members also glued themselves to gates where sheep were being kept during the event in Islington, Edinburgh Live reports. The activists said the goal of their protest was to continue ‘a national conversation about our broken relationship with other animals and nature that began in April when the group disrupted the Grand National at Aintree, and the Scottish Grand National in Ayr.’
They also claimed that they had managed to rescue three lambs from a farm on Royal land earlier this year. It is understood that the group disrupted the Golden Shears championship, which involves teams from around the world trying to shear a sheep as quickly as possible, for around 20 minutes.
Sarah McCaffrey, a member of Animal Rising who was taking part in the protest said: “We are here to engage in conversation around our broken relationship with animals and nature. We know that we are a nation of animal lovers, but that is not reflected in our actions.
“This is clear to see in Golden Shears World Championship where sheep are put in positions where they are visibly stressed and uncomfortable, purely for our entertainment. It is also evident in our use of horses for ‘show-jumping’ at this same event, and in our food system where we send one billion animals to be killed every year in the UK alone.
“That is why Animal Rising are here today taking action. But disruption is only part of the story, dialogue is key too if we are to create the lasting change we need: a safe, secure food plant-based food system and programme of rewilding.”
Animal Rising say that they are a social movement that want to ensure a stable ecological future by fostering new relationships between all living. They also called for a transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.
The Royal Highland Show and Police Scotland have been contacted for comment.
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