11 March 2024 , 09:39
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Dog-loving protestors were dragged out of Crufts yesterday evening after they stormed the popular event.
Security guards tried to stop the activists, who were from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) - but new video from the annual event shows how one managed to get through to the middle of the arena to hold a sign up. A fight broke out and moved into the seated area of the arena.
Footage shows one man trying to force a woman to let go of the barrier she was gripping tightly onto. The crowd can be heard shouting at the protestors, telling them to get out and hurling abuse at them. The woman and another man were then confronted by security. Guards grabbed the man and forcibly removed him, carrying him by his armed and legs out of the arena.
A fight broke out and moved into the seated area of the arena (PA)The protestors dropped a banner which said "boycott breeders" while another tried to get onto the arena floor holding a poster with the same message. Peta has now accepted responsibility for the protest. It came just moments after the best in show prize was announced at the event, which was held at the NAC in Birmingham. Australian Shepherd, Viking, won best in show this year.
Crufts fans watching the event from home took to social media when they notice disruption during the show. One person posted on X: "I heard some loud shouting in background in best of show in Crufts just now. Protest? Anyone else hear it?"
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Crufts features an estimated 28,000 dogs, with the Best in Breed titleholders whittled down to seven group winners before one is crowned the coveted Best in Show. But while the contest is a celebration of all things canine it has also seen its fair share of controversy and scandal over the years.
Crufts features an estimated 28,000 dogs, with the Best in Breed titleholders whittled down to seven group winners before one is crowned the coveted Best in Show (Getty Images)One of the most high-profile Crufts controversies came in 2015 when Irish Setter Jagger, who had finished runner up in his Best Of Breed competition, collapsed and died shortly after returning home from the event. Had the three year old dog been poisoned by a jealous rival at the contest? Thankfully for show organisers but making no difference to the poor pooch, it turned out he had ingested the fatal dose, hidden in beef cubes, back on home soil in Belgium.
The 1990s saw show organisers The Kennel Club criticised for refusing to mark down dogs with docked tails. Experts had branded the practice, which saw part or the whole of the canines tails removed to conform to a breed's standards, cruel and unnecessary. The following decade saw dogs with docked tails no longer allowed to be shown at Crufts.
The UK's leading animal charity turned its back on Crufts in 2008 after voicing concerns about its practices. The RSPCA cancelled plans to have a stand at the show, saying the judging criteria for breed standards encouraged both the breeding of disabled and deformed dogs and the inbreeding of closely related canines.