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For five weekends this summer, advocates from Victoria Horse Alliance have peacefully protested at the corner of Menzies and Belleville; holding signs, speaking with the public, and handing out leaflets. Advocates are all instructed to not engage with carriage staff unless staff engage with them.
“The people who come out to our events are peaceful people who want to make sure the public and tourists understand why exploiting animals for tourism is wrong.”
Despite advocates standing peacefully with signs, carriage staff have repeatedly called the police with false allegations of harassment and interfering with business. Each time, the officers who attended reiterated to protestors that they were allowed to be there and that they had done nothing wrong.
“It is concerning to us that the police would be misused by the carriage companies in this way, to try and intimidate us, while there are real issues for the police to address in the community.”
Victoria Horse Alliance founder, Jordan Reichert said members of the Victoria Horse Alliance have been forced to wear body cams at all times during the events to protect themselves against the fabricated claims of carriage staff. Activists were also forced to file a police report, with video footage, against a carriage supporter who aggressively verbally assaulted them on multiple occasions.
A video has been released by the VHA showing two men verbally assaulting a group of activists for seven minutes straight. The activists stand calmly as the men repeatedly make brutal remarks, insult them, and yell in their faces. They also attack them for wearing masks and say the pandemic is a hoax. A mother with a young girl approached the commotion during the video and the men mock the mother in front of her child. Once the police sirens are heard, one of the individuals leaves and the other stays to continue the abuse.
“We have seen an increase in aggressive verbal assault against our activists since carriage staff began making false allegations against us publicly. We have never harassed their staff, interfered with business, or assaulted them. Any claims to the contrary by them are pure fabrication.”
The issue of carriage staff making false allegations escalated when Donna Friedlander, owner of Tally-Ho, published an opinion piece in the Times Colonist claiming that Victoria Horse Alliance founder, Jordan Reichert, and VHA activists were harassing staff, showing videos of horse slaughter, and directing people to honk and yell at the horses, tour guests, and staff. None of which ever happened. As seen in the video, these falsehoods have created a hostile environment for those lawfully and peacefully protesting.
The pattern of false accusations continued on Monday after a carriage driver was allegedly robbed at the Legislature. Representing Victoria Carriage Tours, Tom Walker, used this incident to bring up another incident that allegedly occurred over the weekend, of someone pulling carriages back and jumping into a carriage with guests. Walker specifically named Jordan Reichert and Victoria Horse Alliance, on CFAX 1070, as being responsible for the carriage incident without providing any evidence.
In response, Reichert points out Victoria Horse Alliance has not demonstrated the last two weekends and would never engage in such reckless behaviour.
“Carriage staff have now repeatedly made serious false allegations against myself and the Victoria Horse Alliance which simply did not happen with any knowledge or participation by myself or VHA activists. We condemn such actions by whoever did them, but it had nothing to do with us.”
Reichert says that it is a dangerous precedent they are setting of repeatedly lying to the public to try and gain sympathy, but never having any evidence to back up their claims. He also says the media must be held accountable for disseminating these false allegations to the public.
This tactic is also apparent in the repeated phrasing that both of the horse carriages companies rely on, that is the victimization of “young women” when describing their claims of harassment by activists. Not only does this claim have no basis, but it ignores that the vast majority of animal advocates who attend Victoria Horse Alliance events are young women themselves, who would never tolerate the type of behaviour that carriage staff describe.
“Carriage companies lying about the actions of myself and the Victoria Horse Alliance have continued to erode their legitimacy. It is a normal strategy of businesses that exploit animals for profit to try and smear animal advocates, but it is one that the public should never tolerate or have to endure. We will continue to take the high road no matter how low they go.”
The Victoria Horse Alliance condemns any and all violence toward, or verbal assault of carriage staff or their patrons.
Legal action is currently being considered by the activists to stop the spread of defamatory statements against them.
Victoria Animal News
