LONDON: British police on Tuesday charged a man who threw a milkshake at Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage with common assault and criminal damage.
The incident in Newcastle in northern England on Monday sparked condemnation from across the political spectrum, following a series of similar ambushes on populist and far-right candidates in the European elections. Police said the criminal damage charge against Paul Crowther, 32, related to a microphone that Farage was wearing while he was campaigning in the city.
Common assault, a crime entailing a threat of physical violence, carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, but first-time offenders in such cases usually only pay a fine.
Crowther, who was detained and handcuffed at the scene, will appear in court next month. He told reporters that his action was "a right of protest against people like him". "The bile and the racism he spouts out in this country is far more damaging than a bit of milkshake to his front," Crowther said.
In a tweet, Farage blamed the incident on EU supporters who "have become radicalised, to the extent that normal campaigning is becoming impossible". During the campaign, Carl Benjamin of the UK Independent Party and former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson have also been doused in milkshakes.