Man charged with common assault after Nigel Farage hit by milkshake
Police said Paul Crowther had been charged with common assault and criminal damage after the incident in Newcastle.
A man has been charged with common assault and criminal damage after throwing a milkshake at Nigel Farage.
The Brexit Party leader was left doused with the Five Guys banana and salted caramel drink while on a walkabout in Newcastle city centre on Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Northumbria Police said 32-year-old Paul Crowther has been charged with common assault and criminal damage following the incident.
The force said the criminal damage charge relates to a microphone that the politician was wearing at the time.
Crowther, of Holeyn Road, Throckley, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, will appear before magistrates in North Tyneside on June 18, police said.
Speaking at the scene, Crowther said his actions were “a right of protest against people like him”.
Wearing handcuffs, he told reporters: “I didn’t know he was in town, I thought this is my only chance.
“The bile and the racism he spouts out in this country is far more damaging than a bit of milkshake to his front.”
Following the incident, Mr Farage was heard telling a member of his staff that he “could have spotted that a mile off”.
He told a rally in Bolton on Monday evening: “I won’t even acknowledge the low-grade behaviour that I was subjected to this morning, I won’t dignify it, I will ignore it.
“Perhaps keep buying new clothes and carry on.
“For a civilised democratic nation to function in democracy, the loser has to give their consent. The loser has to accept they’ve lost the election and do their best to win the next election. That is how our system works.”
The politician also tweeted that normal campaigning is becoming “impossible” because of such incidents.
In the run-up to the European elections, Ukip’s Carl Benjamin and former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson have been involved in similar disturbances.
