An animal rights protester who wore a jersey similar to an NBA referee’s was tackled and taken down hard on the court during a playoff game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
Leaping over the courtside seats where the owner of the Timberwolves, Glen Taylor, 81, and his wife Becky sat in front of her in the third quarter of the game, Sasha Zemmel ran out on the court before a security guard chased after her and slammed her to the floor. The guard was then aided by Timberwolves assistant coaches to keep her down on the floor.
watch the second row, the security guard was putting in detective work pic.twitter.com/09fFb0Zvrd
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 24, 2022
An animal rights activist group, Direct Action Everywhere, which states on its website that they are “a global network of activists working to achieve animal liberation in one generation,” has been targeting Taylor’s Rembrandt Enterprises, which owns a chicken farm, for how it supposedly dealt with an avian flu outbreak in which five million poultry owned by Rembrandt reportedly died.
Direct Action Everywhere stated, “Zemmel’s makeshift referee jersey had the jersey number 5.3 displayed on the back, in honor of the 5.3 million chickens killed at Rembrandt following an outbreak of ‘highly pathogenic avian influenza’ (HPAI).”
This was not the first time animal activists have disrupted Timberwolves playoff games this year, CBS Sports noted:
During the Timberwolves win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament, a protestor from that group attempted to glue herself to the floor. Later, in Game 1 of this series, a different protestor chained themselves to the basket and had to be cut free before being removed from the arena. In addition, the group claims a similar protest was thwarted during Game 3 of the series on Thursday.
Rembrandt Foods states on its website, “Unhealthy birds don’t lay eggs, so we absolutely prioritize the well-being of our laying flock. A veterinarian and nutrition specialist are regularly consulted to ensure the flock is healthy and nutritional needs are being met. Housing is monitored carefully to ensure that feed, ventilation and lighting are maintained. An automated litter removal system is also in place to keep the environment clean and dry.”
They add:
Rembrandt Cares, our internal service organization, provides volunteer and giving opportunities to co-workers through three primary causes: • Community • Environment • Feeding the Hungry We have expanded our reach through a partnership with the Food Bank of Siouxland, making it possible for us to help feed people in local communities. We also participate in a backpack program that provides snacks and meals for children after school.
Direct Action Everywhere quoted Dr. Mike Martin, a professor in University of California San Francisco’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, warning, “We are risking our health when we cram chickens together in commercial poultry facilities like Rembrandt. As we’re seeing, close confinement promotes the spread of viral diseases among the animal population, which increases the risk of a mutation that allows a deadly virus to spread to humans. It has happened before, and it is almost certain to happen again, given the omnipresence of commercial animal agricultural facilities.”