Animal Rising, the animal rights group that staged a high-profile attempt to stop the Grand National taking place 12 months ago, will confirm on Friday morning that it will not target this year’s race at Aintree next weekend and that it is suspending its campaign of direct action against racing indefinitely.
Last year’s National was delayed by 15 minutes after a group of Animal Rising’s supporters attempted to scale a perimeter fence and glue themselves to one of Aintree’s famous obstacles. The protesters were among 118 individuals arrested by Merseyside Police on the day of the race, in which Sandy Thomson’s gelding Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal injury at the first fence.
