Protesters from animal rights activists PETA stormed the best in show prize ceremony at the Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England, on Sunday, March 11.
At least two protesters ran onto the main floor of the National Exhibition Centre and tried to open banners before being tackled by security guards seconds after judges had announced on live television that whippet Tease and her owner Yvette Short were the winners of the best in show prize.
“It appears that protesters from PETA gained unauthorised access to the ring in the main arena at Crufts, and in doing so scared the dogs and put the safety of both dogs and people at risk in a hugely irresponsible way,” said a spokesman for Crufts in a statement. “Our main priority at the moment is the wellbeing of the dogs that were in the ring, who are looked after by their owners and show officials.”
PETA UK claimed responsibility for the protest, adding that Crufts dog show encouraged the breeding of dogs with “abnormal and harmful physical traits”. The campaign group identified the protesters as members of the “Vegan Strike Force Group”. Credit: Melanie Newman via Storyful
