First official portrait of King Charles vandalized by activists

– Source: CNN
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Activists from animal rights group Animal Rising have vandalized the first official portrait of King Charles currently on display in a London gallery.

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Video shows portrait of King Charles vandalized by activists

London
CNN
—

Activists from an animal rights group 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 on Tuesday showing two activists using a paint roller to stick signs on the monarch's portrait.

The public was able to freely visit the portrait of the monarch, on display at the Philip Mold gallery in central London, until June 21.

The painting, King Charles' first official portrait as monarch, raised eyebrows when it was unveiled earlier this year. Artist Jonathon Yeo depicted the king against a background of crimson red brushstrokes, sparking mixed reactions.

Activists covered the king's head with an image of the British cartoon character Wallace, from the comedy series Wallace and Gromit. A speech bubble was then placed on the board with the following caption: No Gromit cheese, look at all this cruelty on the RSCPA farms.

The action was aimed at drawing attention to a new report, published on Sunday by the group, which investigated 45 farms whose welfare standards are guaranteed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). The RSPCA Assured scheme promises that animals on protected farms will have more living space and will never be kept in cages. The meat, fish and dairy products produced by these farms carry the RSCPA logo. Animal Rising described their findings as damning, alleging that they found animal cruelty in all the farms visited.

Last month, King Charles became royal patron of the RSPCA. In a statement provided to the British newspaper The telegraph, explained an Animal Rising activist: With King Charles such a huge Wallace and Gromit fan, we couldn't think of a better way to draw his attention to the horrific scenes on RSPCA-insured farms! While we hope this will amuse His Majesty, we also ask him to seriously reconsider his decision if he wants to be associated with the terrible suffering endured on RSPCA-approved farms.

(At a 2012 engagement at Clarence House for the late Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, Queen Camilla told a group of her husband's children that Wallace and Gromit were her favorite people in the world.)

Animal Rising describes itself as a non-violent organization campaigning for an urgent transition to a sustainable and just plant-based food system. He is also calling for the RSPCA Assured scheme, which he says covers up cruelty on an industrial scale, to be scrapped.

The RSPCA responded to Animal Risings' claims in a statement provided to CNN on Tuesday, saying that any concerns about welfare on RSPCA Assured-certified farms are taken extremely seriously and that RSPCA Assured acts quickly to look into these allegations.

We have responded openly and transparently to the challenges posed by Animal Rising to our agricultural work, the statement continued. While we understand that Animal Rising, like us, wants the best for animals, their activity is a distraction and challenge to the work we all do to create a better world for every animal.

The organization also said it was shocked by the vandalism of the painting. We support scrutiny of our work, but we cannot tolerate any illegal activity, their statement said.

According to Philip Mould, owner of the gallery where the portrait is exhibited, the painting suffered no damage since it was protected by a layer of plexiglass. Mold told CNN that the stickers used by the activists remained on the portrait for less than ten seconds.

The activists left the premises after being asked to do so, Mold said, adding that the gallery also filed a police report.

There are currently no plans to restrict the painting's display, although staff will remain on alert following the incident, Mold said.