Royal Ascot protesters in custody after handcuffing themselves to winning post in front of Queen
FOUR protesters who demonstrated in front of the Queen as she returned to Royal Ascot are in police custody.
The group handcuffed themselves to the winning post ahead of the Jersey Stakes and caused a short delay to the race in which the Queen had two runners.
They were dressed in the uniform used by catering staff at the event and had reportedly been working at the meeting.
But security staff managed to pick up and move the protesters before any significant delay.
Police were soon called and the group could be seen being spoken to in the middle of the racecourse.
A spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police said: “TVP is aware of a protest which took place yesterday at Ascot racecourse.
“Officers who were on duty at the scene were able to quickly disrupt the protest, and four people have been arrested. They are currently in police custody.
“No one at the racecourse was in any danger at any point, and the day’s events were able to continue with minimal disruption.”
An Ascot official said: “It was a minor incident, quickly dealt with by the police and our own teams. It barely got noticed. “
The group from Extinction Rebellion unfurled a banner reading ‘Racing to Extinction’ after the first race had finished just after 2.30pm.
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There was a short delay to the Jersey Stakes at 3.05, but only by a few minutes.
The women involved had earlier posted an open letter to the Queen that read, “we are running out of time in the race to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.”
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