March 4, 2021Updated: March 4, 2021 3:41 p.m.
Horse racing takes place at Golden Gate Fields with no fans in attendance because of coronavirus concerns in this file photo taken March 19, 2020, in Berkeley, Calif.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
A group of animals rights activists staged a demonstration at Berkeley’s Golden Gate Fields — the horse racing facility that is also being used as a COVID-19 vaccination site — resulting in the cancellation of 200 vaccine appointments Thursday afternoon.
“Golden Gate Fields is a firm believer in the right to protest,” the Golden Gate Fields official Twitter account said in a tweet Thursday afternoon. “However, the current actions of the protesters have forced the closure of the onsite COVID vaccination clinic, and hundreds of people have already had their vaccinations cancelled.” The Berkeley Health Department confirmed to KRON4 that about 200 appointments had to be canceled.
The activists were protesting horse deaths at the facility over the course of the past year and were able to halt horse races scheduled for the afternoon.
Images on social media show that a group of four activists locked themselves together while lying down on the tracks.
A larger group brought signs and called on city officials to shut down the facility.
According to the California Horse Racing Board, five horses have died at Golden Gate Fields so far this year, and 27 died there last year. Three of the five deaths this year came within a four-day period.
