The race that stops a nation (and very often equine hearts) is back, but it’s not just coked up former Home & Away actors descending on Flemington for the increasingly controversial horse race, with multiple protests breaking out.
At least two groups of protesters are bravely turning the country’s attention away from its weird (and hugely problematic) obsession with torturing animals and losing money to apps with names like BronkBet and LadSteves that is the Melbourne Cup, instead drawing attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis on Manus Island.
The first appeared in the form of a huge banner being strung along a crane in the middle of the Flemington Racecourse stadium with the words “SOS: Evacuate Manus Now” emblazoned across it:
Two women have climbed a crane at Flemington ahead of the Melbourne Cup, protesting refugee policy and Manus
(Via @akaWACA) pic.twitter.com/bzmvPcGMUP
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) November 7, 2017
JUST IN: ‘SOS: Evacuate Manus Now!’ – Protesters scale a crane and unfurl a banner at Flemington. #7News pic.twitter.com/g8TwburdRH
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) November 7, 2017
In a statement given to Huffington Post Australia, the refugee activists, one who is allegedly “a qualified rope access technician and a qualified arborist” outline the goal of the protest:
We are joining with others across Australia to demand that the government evacuate the men on Manus immediately and bring them to safety for processing.
This is an emergency. This is an humanitarian crisis. We refuse to sit by whilst the Government, with the complicity of the Labor Party, puts over 600 men’s lives at risk.
The amazing women currently on top of a crane at #MelbourneCup @TurnbullMalcolm #EvacuateManus now! https://t.co/Pk9rXPzbcD #auspol #manus pic.twitter.com/W15Oqrr6Fi
— WACA (@akaWACA) November 7, 2017
The second protest action appears to be the use of a car, also painted with “Evacuate manus” on it, parked across rail lines leading into Flemington:
Manus Island protesters use a car to block rail lines heading to Flemington @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/xMbhfSHCje
— Lynne Scrivens (@lynnescrivens) November 7, 2017
The move also looks to have been successful in causing delays to race fans on their way in to the horse bashing festival:
Flemington Racecourse line: Major Delays continue due to a motor vehicle stopped across rail lines, see https://t.co/fE9E9Hyp10 for updates
— Metro Trains (@metrotrains) November 7, 2017
The hashtag #NupToTheCup also continues to pick up steam on Twitter, with many joining the call against the Melbourne Cup:
https://twitter.com/RoGodwinw67/status/927302977580175361
https://twitter.com/PaulaDale37/status/927605908280000512
Animal cruelty, gambling and politicians partying on tax payers money 🤔 could this day be anymore grotesque #MelbCup #NupToTheCup 👎
— Spooky 👻 Luka (@SpookyLuka) November 6, 2017
