Melbourne Cup’s iconic Flemington racecourse has been sabotaged with 1000 litres of ‘oily sludge’ poured onto it by a protestor.
The popular horse racing event – which is dubbed the race that stops the nation – has been met with much uproar this year – with many Aussies calling out the animal cruelty of the event. Many horses tragically die as a result of the race.
Footage shows at least two people protesting this year’s race – both for animal cruelty reasons and for the controversial wall that was built to protect the track – by pouring an “oily sludge” on the field.
Australian’s have suffered devastating floods this year, including residents based in Flemington, Victoria. A 2.5 metre flood wall was erected around the racecourse in 2007, and many Aussies believe the flood wouldn’t have affected residential areas so badly if the wall wasn’t there.
One person has surrendered themselves for pouring the sludge, and the Climate action protest group Extinction Rebellion in Victoria has said that the oily liquid was dumped by ‘friends’ of the group.
The Victoria Racing Club said that they cleaned a section of the track around the 1500m mark and that the races were safe to continue.
The protestor has issued a statement on the matter, highlighting their issues with the Australian racing industry.
Love Health & Wellness?
Get the latest Health & Wellness news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“Early this morning I pumped 1,000 litres of oily sludge onto Flemington Racecourse. I am a problem gambler and so I have my personal issues with the racing industry. But this is about more than that,” the statement began.
“This is about Victoria Racing Club and the toxic industry of which they are leaders choosing to protect their racecourse against the impacts of climate change at the expense of people’s homes and livelihoods.
“That wall should never have been built, what is a racecourse to them is a crucial natural floodplain that would have lowered flood levels in homes if not for the interest of the racing and gambling industry.
“Even if they can clean the sludge from the racetrack today, I hope they pay proper dues to the local flood victims who will be cleaning their homes for months to come…
“Gambling is a huge problem in Australia… The racing industry callously disregards the well-being of animals and the community, both local and in the floods, and those who have fallen victim to gambling.
“If this year’s Melbourne Cup is postponed it will be a well-deserved setback for an industry that needs to be held accountable,” it concluded.
For more on this topic, follow the Health and Wellness Observer.
