Protests held over conference in Newbury
Police were called to both Newbury Racecourse and The Vineyard at Stockcross yesterday (Wednesday)
POLICE were called to Newbury Racecourse and The Vineyard at Stockcross yesterday (Tuesday) to deal with separate protests about a life science conference being held in Newbury this week.
At about 5pm, police were called to the racecourse, where the three-day BioTrinity conference is being held, to deal with a group of protesters who were outside shouting and displaying banners.
Then, at about 7pm, police were called to The Vineyard at Stockcross, where a group of 10 protesters had congregated outside, causing minor disruption.
It is understood that the protesters were there to vent their anger at some of the conference attendees, who were believed to be staying at The Vineyard.
Thames Valley Police spokesman, Adam Fisher, said no arrests were made at either location, although he said police were monitoring the situation today (Wednesday) in case of similar protests.
The conference, BioTrinity 2011, has attracted similar problems before, with animal rights activists protesting outside the racecourse last year with the message: “Stop torturing animals for human purposes.”
The BioTrinity conference aims to bring together investors, research and development and pharmaceutical companies and more than 700 delegates were expected to attend the three-day event this year.