Animal Rights Protester Charged After Running Onto Epsom Racecourse

A protester is tackled by police and stewards shortly before the Derby at Epsom Downs racecourse in Surrey, England, on June 3, 2023. (PA)

An animal rights activist who ran onto the track at the Derby at Epsom on Saturday will appear before magistrates on Monday after being charged.

Surrey Police confirmed Ben Newman, 32, from Hackney, east London, has been charged with causing a public nuisance and will appear before Guildford magistrates.

Newman, who was named by Animal Rising on Saturday, has previously appeared as an advocate of animal rights on television channel GBNews.

In a statement on their website Surrey Police said: “One man was arrested after he ran onto the racetrack during a live race. Thanks to the diligence and quick action of officers and event security, he was swiftly removed, along with two women who were also quickly detained moments before they were able to get onto the track.”

The Derby—which is considered the most important race in the horse racing season on the flat—is run over a course of one mile and four furlongs but it takes the horse only two-and-a-half minutes.

Shortly after the horses came out of the starting stalls the protester ducked under the railings and went onto the course. Spectators shouted “Get him” before he was manhandled by stewards and police officers.

The police said 31 people were arrested on Saturday, including 12 on the grounds of the racecourse.

In April, protesters from Animal Rising delayed the start of the Grand National at Aintree by 15 minutes.

Some of the activists attempted to affix themselves to the race fences using glue and lock-on devices, according to Animal Rising, before being taken away by police and security officials.

Other activists, some using ladders, were prevented from getting onto the track by security, who shook the outer fences.

Jockey Club Obtained Injunction

The Jockey Club, which owns Epsom racecourse, had been fearful of a repeat of the Aintree incident and was granted an injunction prohibiting Animal Rising group from intervening in the event, after the organisation made it “explicitly clear” it intended to breach security.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: “A total of 39 arrests were made over the course of the two days. Thirty-one of these arrests were made in connection with planned criminal activity at the Epsom Derby Festival, including two women who were quickly detained moments before they were able to get on to the track.

“Thirty have since been released on bail pending further inquiries,” he added.

Police liaison officers walk past members of the protest group Animal Rising, after they were allocated a space near the entrance to Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, England, on June 3, 2023. (PA)

Chief Superintendent Clive Davies, who was in charge of the policing operation for the Derby, added: “I am incredibly proud of every single officer, staff member and volunteer who worked in the run-up to the event and at the event itself. They played a vital role in protecting the public and preventing and responding to criminality.”

The chief executive of the Jockey Club, Nevin Truesdale, said the protesters’ actions were “deplorable and mindless.”

The organisation said the Epsom authorities had failed to follow the British Horseracing Authority’s procedures when somebody gets onto the course, which suggests their intention was to force the race to be stopped and re-run.

Animal Rising claimed £150,000 was spent on extra security and included facial recognition cameras.

The group said a racehorse which refused to race in The Oaks on Friday was carrying out “resistance.”

Louise Hillwood, a primary school teacher and spokeswoman for Animal Rising, said: “The story of Running Lion’s bravery and courage yesterday should speak to us all. Her resistance to being used represents the struggle of all animals in horse racing, dog racing, and our food system. We can all see that these animals, like us, want to be free, safe, and happy.”

‘We Want Horse Racing to End Entirely’

A spokesman for Animal Rising told The Epoch Times: “We want horse racing to end entirely. There is no ethical way for it to continue. We should not be breeding these animals into existence.”

He said they wanted the breeding of racehorses to end and said the existing racehorses to live out their days on sanctuaries.

“It is a shame that people can’t imagine a world where these horses are wild,” he told The Epoch Times.

The most famous protest ever at Epsom occurred 110 years ago when a Suffragette, Emily Davison, was killed when she ran in front of King George V’s horse, Anmer, at Tattenham Corner.

Davison, who was 40 years old, had been campaigning for women to have the right to vote for several years and had undergone several hunger strikes.

There is now a statue of her in Epsom town centre.

PA Media contributed to this report.