00:51 – Source: CNN
The video shows a portrait of King Charles being vandalized by activists
London
CNN
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Animal rights activists have vandalized the first official portrait of King Charles, currently on display in a London gallery.
Campaign group Animal Rising posted a video on its social media channels on Tuesday showing two activists using a paint roller to stick signs over the portrait of the king.
The portrait of the monarch, which is on display at Philip Mold Gallery in central London until June 21, is free to the public.
This painting is the first official portrait of King Charles as King. He raised his eyebrows It was released earlier this year. Artist Jonathan Yeo depicted the king against a background of crimson red brushes, which provoked mixed reactions.
Fans covered the king’s head with an image of British cartoon character Wallace from the “Wallace and Gromit” comedy series. A speech bubble sign was also plastered over the painting with the following caption: “No Cheese Gromit, look at this cruelty on RSCPA farms.”
The move is designed to draw attention to a new report released on Sunday by a group that examined 45 farms certified by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). The RSPCA’s Promise program ensures that animals on protected farms are given more living space and are never kept in cages. Meat, fish and dairy products produced by these farms are marked with the RSCPA logo. Animal Rising described their findings as “obscene”, accusing them of inventing “Aggravated Animal Cruelty” Visited all farms.
Last month, King Charles became Royal Patron of the RSPCA. In a statement to the British press telegram, an Animal Raising activist explained, “As King Charles is a big fan of ‘Wallace and Gromit’, we couldn’t think of a better way to draw his attention to the horrific scenes on RSPCA committed farms! While we hope this is just for Her Majesty’s amusement, we urge her to seriously reconsider if she wants to be associated with the worst suffering across farms recognized by the RSPCA.
(During an engagement at Clarence House for the late Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Queen Camilla told a group of her husband’s children that “Wallace and Gromit were her favorite people in the world”.)
Animal Rights/Twitter
Queen Camilla said in 2012 that the “Wallace and Gromit” franchise was among the King’s “favourite films”.
Animal Rising describes itself as a non-violent organization campaigning for “an urgent transition to a sustainable and plant-based diet”. It has also petitioned the RSPCA’s Assured scheme, which it claims covers “cruelty on an industrial scale”.
The RSPCA responded to Animal Rising’s claims in a statement to CNN on Tuesday, saying, “Any concerns about the welfare of RSPCA-assured certified farms are taken very seriously and the RSPCA ensures that these allegations are dealt with swiftly.”
“We have responded openly and transparently to Animal Raising’s challenges to our agricultural operations,” the statement continued. “We understand that Animal Rising, like us, wants the best for animals, and their activism is a distraction and a challenge to the work we all do to create a better world for every animal.”
The organization said it was “shocked” that the painting had been destroyed. “We welcome scrutiny of our work, but we cannot condone any illegal activity,” their statement said.
According to Philip Mold, owner of the gallery where the portrait is on display, the painting is “undamaged” because it is protected by a layer of Perspex. Molt told CNN that the sticky stickers used by activists were on the portrait for “less than ten seconds.”
The activists left the premises after being asked to do so, Molt said, adding that the gallery has also filed a police report.
There are currently no plans to take down the painting’s display, though staff will remain “on alert” after the incident, Molt said.
