A riot at Fairview Racecourse in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on Thursday morning has resulted in the death of at least one horse while others were injured, according to published reports.
The reasons behind the protest vary somewhat between publications, but the most commonly-cited factor is that grooms were standing in solidarity with a groom that had been fired from the yard of trainer Yvette Bremner months earlier-some publications citing that the groom in question had been fired for stabbing a horse.
The SA Police Service tweeted that 150 to 200 protestors had freed 28 horses at the racecourse on Thursday. The Sunday Times reported that one horse died as a result of being stabbed while others were injured in that manner; industry publication SAH Racing, however, reported that one horse died as a result of injuries sustained after running into a fence.
Racehorse owner Michael de Haast told Sunday Times, “We want action now. We are calling on all trainers and other yards to stop all racing immediately until [racing authority] Phumelela take responsibility for what is happening and protect these horses. What is worrying is that the trainer at this yard is a woman and she is being threatened with physical violence if she tries to protect the horses. Gender-based violence, a scourge in our country, is able to rear its ugly head in this situation too. Something has to be done.”
“It is a very sad day in this country when innocent animals are slaughtered and abused due to greed and hate. As Gandhi said: ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated’–and I fear that our nation has lost its way unless we take a very big stand against this.”
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