My thoughts are turning to the display of the popular and widely accepted form of cruelty this past weekend at the 'Grand National' event, here in the UK. The deaths of 3 horses at this years pointless parade has been largely blamed on Animal Rising protestors, which is completely false and the usual narrative of the biased vegan-hating media. I notice they are not talking about the deaths of horses from previous years where no one protested. Or, indeed, the 49 horses this year so far who have died/been killed as a direct result of horseracing. Furthermore, Animal Rising shared on their Twitter feed that 54% of Brits believe that horseracing is cruel. I made a piece of artwork in response to this unnecessary event last year, which can be viewed here. It saddens me that this remains relevant.
'Grand National Disaster' May 2022 Installtion with digital film This installation included a newspaper spread with the name and age (most are 2-4 years old) of every horse who has died at this event in my lifetime. Make no mistake, Envoye Special, Dark Raven, and Hill Sixteen all died due to being forced to 'perform' in an abusive 'sport' for human greed and entertainment. I'm left asking why it is that if you throw yourself in front of a horse at a derby in the 1900s in the name of human rights (while injuring the horse), you're hailed a martyr, yet, if you peacefully protest at a horse derby in 2023 in the name of animal rights (not touching a horse), you're quickly dubbed an 'extremist' and blamed for their death. We need to get over our species-elitism. People make a difference, so please make your voice heard and sign the petition to end this horrific spectacle here. LMK