Animal rights protesters could pose a significant threat to the smooth operation of King Charles III’s Coronation, according to GB News presenter Andrew Pierce.
It comes as protest group Animal Rising prepare to sabotage the Grand National on Saturday.
The race is set to be watched by millions of people worldwide with thousands in attendance at Aintree, but the event could be marred in an unforeseen manner by a group of activists.
Pierce warned the “irritating” group could already have their eye on another major event to scupper, suggesting King Charles’s Coronation could be targeted.
King Charles's Coronation could be at risk
PA
The event, taking place on May 6, will see the monarch and his wife, Camilla, crowned as King and Queen.
Andrew Pierce warned woke activists could have something to say about that as they carry out their plans.
He said on GB News: “What are the police going to be like? Are they going to be all woke like they are with Extinction Rebellion protesters?
“They have been alarmingly weak with some of these protests. These activists would be banning equestrianism, show jumping and every aspect of this sport.
“Are these intensely irritating people going to try and interrupt the Coronation?”
It comes after a spokesman for the group, Ben Newman, unveiled the plans on GB News while also calling on fellow animal lovers to join in.
He said: “So horse racing is wrong and we can do so much better than using animals for food or fun and we just don’t need to.
“We’re inviting everyone to come down at 9.30am on the 15th to Aintree racecourse and we hope to stop the race.
“Come on down if you’d like to know more. Protest is a fairly common thing in a democracy and there’s nothing new about it.
“We’ll be using our bodies and that’s all there is to it really.”
Nigel Farage, who is attending the event at Aintree, clashed with a spokesperson from the group who is aiming to “ruin” the GB News presenter’s day.
In a fiery debate, Farage grilled the activist over the group’s actions, questioning whether they have the “moral authority” to impose their beliefs on others through mode of “anarchistic” protest.
Animal Rising hope to 'ruin' Nigel Farage's day at the Grand NationalGB NewsNathan McGovern argued: “I think that it’s sad that a lot of people can’t imagine these animals existing apart from our use for them.
“If you look at our food industry, people can’t imagine pigs or cows or sheep in natural habitats apart from our use of them for food.
“What we need to do is reevaluate why that is. I’ve never seen a wild horse, I know there’s a few in Dartmoor or Exmoor way, it will be fantastic if we had wild horses if we could enjoy that and we don’t have to see them die on race tracks.”
Farage argued that the horses are subject to the best possible treatment as a result of their racing careers and would likely be disposed of otherwise.
He said: “Here’s the point, I want to go for a good day, your mob want to come along and disrupt the day.
“You don’t even want me to have a bacon sandwich when I arrive at the track. You’re a modern day Cromwellian Puritan.”
Were the group to be successful in their attempts to disrupt the Grand National, it may prompt them to undertake similar actions in the future, with the King’s Coronation soon to come.
Royal authorities already have a security headache ahead of the historic event after controversial figure Prince Harry announced his intention to attend and a “huge policing operation” promised.
The King’s second son, who moved to California after stepping down as a senior working royal, is taking legal action against the Home Office over his security arrangements in the UK.
Months ago, Harry was criticised for revealing in his memoir that he killed 25 Taliban insurgents while fighting in Afghanistan, with security experts suggesting it has made him and those associated with him targets.