BREAKING NEWS: An injunction against peaceful protesters outside Shelbourne Park greyhound stadium has today been lifted. Protests will resume AT THE ENTRANCE TO SHELBOURNE PARK this Saturday 1st February 2020 at 7pm. Congratulations and well done to the six protesters at the centre of the High Court case and their legal teams for securing this hugely important and significant outcome.

Speaking outside the High Court after the case had been settled, defendant Noiren Carrigg commented: "We are absolutely delighted with the outcome. We have walked away and Shelbourne has taken all the costs and we had to make no formal court agreement. We feel it's a massive victory for all of us...Next Saturday, everybody is back at Shelbourne outside the front door protesting at the AFAR protest. We are all really, really delighted".

AFAR's Bernie Wright added: "It's a great day and a great success for the greyhounds. I just really want to be back at Shelbourne to continue on the fight we started seven months ago - and really 30 years ago as well. It will go on until we shut down Shelbourne Park."

Co-defendant Conor Brady expressed his delight - "We are truly happy with the result. The important message is, for civil liberties, that we have a right to protest, we have a right to gather lawfully and make our views known. The reason we all came out in the first place was for the dogs. Now, we will be back outside Shelbourne Park, without a 50 metre exclusion zone, shouting every week for the dogs."

Watch a video from outside the High Court
https://www.facebook.com/OrdinaryPeopleAgainstGreyhoundExploitation/videos/181286572963896/

The Irish Times is reporting that the judge "said he was not being critical of any party in the action, or their advisers [but that] with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been better for all sides had the defendants been put on notice of the proceedings before the ex-parte injunction was sought last November".

The injunction taken out by Shelbourne Park was condemned by Ruth Coppinger TD (Solidarity, Dublin West) as “A DISGRACEFUL ATTACK ON THE RIGHT TO PROTEST”. Speaking at the Greyhounds Around The Globe conference in November, Paul Murphy TD (RISE / Solidarity, Dublin South-West) also condemned it, saying that “the money they are using to pay lawyers to bring you to court to try to prevent the right to protest is public money [from the millions of euros in government funding the IGB receives each year]...We will be putting very hard questions to the government - do they think public money should be used in this way to try and intimidate people and try and prevent people from protesting.”

Please join the protest this Saturday and also support other upcoming protests outside Shelbourne Park and tracks around the country. The campaign will continue until Shelbourne Park and all tracks are shut down and cruel, dog-killing greyhound racing is finally ended in Ireland.

Shelbourne Park is one of the worst tracks in Ireland for greyhound injuries and deaths. In the past five years alone, at least 167 greyhounds suffered injuries there and 39 were killed by a track vet, sickening Irish Greyhound Board statistics show. Among the recent victims were a greyhound who died after suffering a “suspected heart attack” on 17th August and another carried away bleeding with a leg bone “popped out”.

SEE ALSO

Greyhound track protestors 'delighted with outcome' as they reach settlement with Shelbourne Park (Irish Examiner) https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/greyhound-track-protestors-delighted-with-outcome-as-they-reach-settlement-with-shelbourne-park-978467.html

Injunction lifted as row over dog track protests resolved (Irish Times)
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/injunction-lifted-as-row-over-dog-track-protests-resolved-1.4155240

A RED C opinion poll commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports and Greyhound Action Ireland shows that two out of every three Irish adults agree that the government should stop funding greyhound racing.
https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/posts/2443708225744721

REPORTED GREYHOUND INJURIES AND DEATHS AT IRISH TRACKS

2019: (Jan to Sept): 254 injuries. 86 deaths
2018: 353 Injuries. 121 Deaths
2017: 357 Injuries. 124 Deaths
2016: 427 Injuries. 139 Deaths
2015: 422 Injuries. 122 Deaths

REPORTED INJURIES AND DEATHS AT SHELBOURNE PARK

2019 (January to September):
21 injuries, 4 deaths (including a greyhound who died of “suspected heart attack)
2018: 41 injuries, 12 deaths
2017: 21 injuries, 10 deaths
2016: 51 injuries, 7 deaths
2015: 33 injuries, 7 deaths

ACTION ALERT

Say NO to the cruel greyhound industry - don't attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties held at greyhound tracks

Ask election candidates where they stand on the issue of greyhound racing. Do they share the majority view that the government must stop the massive state funding that is keeping greyhound racing afloat? Find out the views of election candidates at https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/01/08/general-election-2020-candidates-and-animal-cruelty-issues/

Find out which TDs have voted for and against the funding in the past four years and bear this in mind when casting your vote https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2020/01/17/government-grants-to-horse-and-greyhound-racing-how-tds-voted/

In General Election 2020, give your support to Ruth Coppinger, Paul Murphy and any candidate in your constituency who pledges to push for an end to greyhound racing, hare coursing, foxhunting, etc.

Please sign and share petitions

Stop supporting the cruel greyhound industry
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry

GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks

Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing

Close Enniscorthy greyhound track
https://www.change.org/p/animal-lovers-and-wildlife-rescuers-close-enniscorthy-greyhound-racing-track

Watch RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives to witness the horrors of greyhound racing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM