Animal Rising vandalize King Charles' first official portrait with Wallace and Gromit comic

"No Cheese, Gromit. Look At All This Cruelty On RSPCA Farms!”


Pop Culture & Art June 12, 2024
Courtesy: AFP

Animal rights activists defaced King Charles' inaugural portrait today while it was exhibited at the Philip Mould gallery in London.

According to the Daily Mail, two demonstrators affiliated with a collective known as Animal Rising breached the security barrier in front of astonished onlookers, proceeding to vandalize the painting with a poster reminiscent of Wallace and Gromit.

A handout photograph taken and released on June 11, 2024 by British animal activist movement Animal Rising shows the new official portrait of King Charles III, painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo, covered with the face of animation character Wallace. PHOTO: AFP/Animal Rising

(PHOTO: AFP/Animal Rising)

At approximately noon, the pair obscured the face of the monarch with an illustration of the animated figure Wallace and affixed a speech bubble to the artwork, conveying a message concerning "cruelty" on RSPCA farms.

The message stated: “No Cheese, Gromit. Look At All This Cruelty On RSPCA Farms!”

The artwork, influenced in part by the King's environmental endeavors, was reportedly safeguarded behind Perspex, minimizing the risk of damage.

Animal Rising is urging King Charles to halt his endorsement of the charity, of which he serves as the Royal Patron, until they discontinue their support for the Assured Scheme, designed to uphold animal welfare standards.

Daniel Juniper and Ben Thomas affixed the stickers and lingered in the reception area until they were requested to depart. They remained in the vicinity of the gallery for approximately two hours, but law enforcement did not arrive.

“With King Charles being such 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 Assured farms,” Juniper said.

“Even though we hope this is amusing to His Majesty, we also call on him to seriously reconsider if he wants to be associated with the awful suffering across farms being endorsed by the RSPCA.”

“Charles has made it clear he is sensitive to the suffering of animals in UK farms; now is the perfect time for him to step up and call on the RSPCA to drop the Assured Scheme and tell the truth about animal farming.”

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