This post is written in response to allegations made in an op-ed piece by Donna Friedlander, owner of Tally-Ho Carriage Tours, in the Times Colonist July 24th, 2020.
For five years the Victoria Horse Alliance has been opposing the exploitation of horses in Victoria under the Animal Alliance of Canada. In that time, we have acted peacefully in our demonstration, provided honest arguments to the public for why the horse carriages should be banned and treated the individual members of the carriage staff with respect.
However, from early on it was clear that the carriage staff were going to lie to police, city council, and the public to attempt to discredit our position. Donna Friedlander has now gone too far with these false allegations that were published in the Times Colonist, to which myself, all the activists involved with the Victoria Horse Alliance, and the organizations I am associated with deserve a genuine apology.
We have not harassed staff or guests of the carriage industry as Friedlander claims. We stand with our signs peacefully and every activist is told to not engage with staff unless they engage with us first. However, we have documented hate speech and aggressive verbal assault from carriage supporters regularly.
There was no vow to protest every Saturday as Friedlander claims. We all have jobs and so we organize when it is convenient.
We do not surround carriage staff as Friedlander claims. When we arrive, we stand a respectful distance from carriage staff. Despite claims to the contrary, we do not interfere with business or them doing their job. Last week one staff member even pulled out a measuring tape and measured 6ft, which the activist was standing beyond already. Friedlander then came by and yelled at the activist even though they were beyond the measuring tape.
Further claims from Friedlander are also false. We have never organized drive-bys of vehicles honking or yelling at staff and horses. We have never organized cars following tours with passengers yelling anything at staff and guests. Neither have we ever shown any video of horses being slaughtered, we have only showed one video of the carriage accident at Ogden Point.
Due to the aggressive behaviour of carriage supporters, which we have also documented, and lies from staff to police, activists now wear body cams to record the days event, so that we have documentation of everything. It is for our safety and to hold everyone accountable for their actions.
Friedlander also claims that we include a “very young child” in our protests. If someone brings their child with them to an event, they are welcome to join, but we have never asked a child to join us.
Carriage staff have called the police without any provocation the last three times we have been there. We have not interfered with business or created safety issues for staff as Friedlander alleges. That is why police attend, tell us we are doing nothing wrong (which we document) and then leave. Calling the police is just a tactic used to try to intimidate activists and we disagree with wasting public resources on false allegations.
While there may be some horse industry professionals that support the carriages, Friedlander misleads the public by stating the BC SPCA and the City of Victoria support the carriage industry. The BC SPCA recommendations to prohibit the carriages on Victoria’s city streets from 2018 still stand.
Friedlander claims we have “admitted to have zero knowledge of horses..” which is not true. Our opinions are based on documented evidence and researched facts, as well as the opinions of experienced professionals. Many of the people who stand with us care for horses on their own farms.
Friedlander claims we have hurtled unrelenting verbal assaults at staff which has no basis in reality. Furthermore, we have not accused her or her staff of animal abuse. That is just her embellished interpretation of us describing the documented events that have happened with the horses the carriage industry exploits for profit.
Friedlander then asks several questions of the readers of “how is it okay?” followed by numerous false allegations as described in the preceding paragraphs.
Since I have addressed all the false allegations above, my only question is how is it okay for Friedlander and her staff to make up stories to try to discredit myself and the organizations I work with?
If the people I worked with lied to the public as Friedlander has, I would not work with them anymore. Similarly, the City of Victoria deserves better than to be lied to and needs to distance itself from the carriage industry.
Jordan Reichert
Victoria Horse Alliance
Here is the original op-ed:
A commentary by the owner/operator of Tally-Ho Carriage Tours.
It is with great interest and disbelief that I read “Carriage protesters doing nothing wrong,” the July 22 letter from Jordan Reichert, founder of the Victoria Horse Alliance, and deputy leader of the Animal Protection Party of Canada, a minor registered political party that focuses on animal rights.
Reichert claimed to be “doing nothing wrong” in his organized protests of Victoria’s horse drawn carriage industry.
While I fully support everyone’s right to peaceful protest, Reichert’s group is harassing staff and guests of the carriage industry.
The Victoria Horse Alliance protesters range in numbers from 10 to 14, and have vowed to protest the use of horse-drawn carriages in Victoria every Saturday throughout the summer.
From what I have seen, they are holding to this promise, with the exception of July 11, when it was raining. Apparently the horses don’t need to be defended if the weather isn’t nice.
Upon arrival at the carriage stands on Saturdays, the protesters spread out in order to surround the carriage staff: 14 protesters ignoring physical- distancing rules and interfering with six, young, primarily female staff just trying to take care of the horses and do their jobs.
Add to that a video camera that follows every move the staff make, all day; organized drive-bys of cars honking and yelling at staff and horses; cars following tours with their passengers yelling verbal accusations and threats at staff and guests; and showing videos of horses being slaughtered — which has no relevance to Victoria’s carriage industry — to guests and their young children.
Most recently, the Victoria Horse Alliance has included a very young child in the protests. The child is asked to hold a sign and ask people to not ride with the “horsies.”
The police have been called every time. The Victoria Horse Alliance members are consistently interfering with business and creating a safety issue for staff, horses and guests. The police have the same conversations each week, reminding the Victoria Horse Alliance of the parameters around “peaceful” protesting.
Numerous veterinarians, horse professionals, the B.C. SPCA and the City of Victoria have all spoken out in support of our local industry.
The alliance has admitted to having zero knowledge of horses or their physical or mental care requirements. Their opinions are based on an “I think, I feel” ideology that is not grounded in fact.
While we are all entitled to our opinions, I would urge people to do research, come and see for yourself, ask us questions, follow our social media or blog posts, etc. We are an open book about what we do and how we do it, and I am extremely proud of the level of care my horses receive.
I am appalled at the behaviour of these activists who are hurtling unrelenting verbal assaults at my staff who are horse professionals, working tirelessly out of love to ensure the safety, health and happiness of the carriage horses.
How can these activists think it is OK for them to accuse myself and my staff of such heinous acts as animal abuse? That’s a very serious, yet unfounded, allegation!
How is it OK to follow young women around all day at work with a video camera hoping to find them taking a single misstep in their daily activities so they can exploit them on social media?
How is it OK to create a narrow passageway of protesters that these young women must pass through constantly, all day, in order to attend to their horses and guests?
How is it OK for protesters to endanger staff by refusing to keep proper physical distancing during the health crisis?
How is it OK for protesters to follow horses while on tour, blaring car horns and yelling at staff and guests?
It’s simple: This is not protesters “doing nothing wrong,” as the Victoria Horse Alliance claims.
This is protesters purposefully harassing and intimidating young women in the workplace and the public by using dishonesty, bullying and scare tactics.