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| For Immediate Release, Sunday 8 September 2019 CPR Protest at the ‘Ride Like A Girl’ World Premiere What: Protest at the ‘Ride Like A Girl’ World Premiere When: TODAY Sunday 8 September, 1pm – 3pm Where: Village Cinemas Jam Factory, 500 Chapel Street South Yarra ‘Ride Like A Girl’ is the directorial debut of Rachel Griffith. Her film is centred around jockey Michelle Payne, famous for being the first and to date only female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, a day which has caused the death of six horses over the past six years. The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) will have a strong presence the cinema to ensure all attendees know what they are really celebrating is animal abuse. “Ride Like A Girl is a film based on glorifying a woman for excelling in what has been long a male-dominated animal abuse industry.” Said CPR Communications Director Kristin Leigh. “There is nothing to be proud of when women achieve accolades in roles of being cruel and heartless that have historically been reserved for men. The film uses issues of both gender inequality and disability to celebrate and promote an industry that depends on the exploitation, abuse, and suffering of horses.” CPR recently released their annual Deathwatch report exposing that 122 horses have been killed on Australian racetracks in the past 12 months. Read more here. “Ride Like A Girl glorifies an industry that is well known for pushing horses well beyond their limits, forcing them to suffer heart attacks, and severe injuries that lead to the deaths of at least one horse every three days on Australian racetracks.” “The majority of those who manage to survive will be discarded for pet food or human consumption when they are no longer profitable. That is something that people should be ashamed of. Michelle Payne is complicit in this suffering, as is Rachael Griffith for glorifying her and this industry through this film” Ms Leigh added. To make matters worse, Michelle Payne’s 2015 win was on Darren Weir-trained horse Prince of Penzance. “This film is premiering and being celebrated just months after Darren Weir has been banned from racing for 4 years for abusing horses with electric shock devices; an action jockeys must also be complicit in for the jiggers to have the desired effect.” CPR is calling for an investigation into Michelle Payne’s 2015 Melbourne Cup win. “If Weir was jigging Prince of Penzance, Michelle Payne would too have been complicit in the abuse. It is highly unlikely that Michelle Payne was not at the very least aware of the illegal cruelty being inflicted on other Weir-trained horses.” Ms Leigh said. ENDS For More information: horseracingkills.com |
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