PETA Members Stage Protest Outside Melbourne Cup As Cops Arrest Others

Animal welfare campaigners have staged a dramatic protest outside Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

As the Melbourne Cup got underway, members of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) dressed up as characters from Netflix's Squid Game.

They made the point how the horses running in today's races (and arguably all other races) are like the contestants in the green tracksuits and Aussies are like the VIPs who heartlessly bet on their success.

PETA's Mimi Bekhechi told 9News that they wanted to use something popular and current to highlight their concerns with the racing industry.

9News

She explained: "In Squid Game, the participants' lives are gambled on, but at least they get to choose whether they want to play or not.

"Horses used in the Melbourne Cup are forced to race, whipped to the finish line, and discarded when no longer profitable."

There has been a growing conversation around the Melbourne Cup and whether it's right to support it.

The hashtag #NupToTheCup has been growing each year as many have turned their backs on the race that stops the nation.

However, the members from PETA and CPR weren't the only ones who wanted to protest today (November 2).

Several animal welfare demonstrators dressed in black were pulled up by the police as they approached the racecourse at around 10:30am.

An anti-lockdown and anti-Daniel Andrews protest also flocked towards Flemington Racecourse earlier in the day and called for Covid-19 rules to be abandoned.

News Corp reports protestors yelled 'save our children', 'free Victoria' and 'sack Dan Andrews'.

Anthony Van Dyck was the last horse to die in the Melbourne Cup after it finished last in the 2020 race.

Eight horses have perished after taking part in the Cup in the past nine years.

Many believe this is eight too many and PETA and other organisations have been begging for the industry to end the annual event.

PETA wrote after Anthony Van Dyck's death: "The industry may gloss over the bleeding lungs, broken bones, and deaths, but, race after race, the truth comes out on track.

"How many more wounded and dead horses will it take before we call time on this disgraceful demonstration of national senselessness?"

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie