Animal rights protesters claim they did not cause any damage to Victoria Memorial

Five Animal Rebellion activists hurled fake blood over the Queen Victoria Memorial in a protest about hunting, a court heard. Christopher Bennett, 33, Riley Ings, 27, Louis McKechnie, 23, Claire Smith, 26 and Rachel Steele, 48, allegedly defaced the white marble statue outside Buckingham Palace. They threw red liquid over the memorial, turning the water blood red, and let off flares on 26 August 2021, Southwark Crown Court heard. The protestors were seen with signs that read ‘Animal Agriculture: A…