‘Milkshaking’ the weapon of choice for Brits angry at right-wing EU election candidates like Brexiteer Nigel Farage
- The lowly milkshake has turned into an unlikely weapon of choice for Britons determine to make a splashy statement against the rise of the Brexit-backing populist right
- Nigel Farage became the latest political figure to be doused while campaigning in this week’s European Parliament elections
Angry Britons are fighting against hate speech and unpopular far-right campaigners with an unlikely weapon: the milkshake.
In recent weeks, the act of “milkshaking” has become a symbol of protest on British soil, with Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage becoming the latest target in a string of attacks that have seen dairy-based drinks dashed at controversial European election candidates during events across the country.
Farage had been campaigning Monday in the city of Newcastle for only around 20 minutes when a 32-year-old man hurled a drink at him, covering his suit in a sticky liquid that the attacker later confirmed was a banana and salted caramel milkshake from Five Guys.
Soon after the attack, a visibly shaken Farage can be heard reprimanding his security team for their inability to protect him successfully.
In a widely circulated video, he can be heard saying: “complete failure” and “how did you not stop that?”
In the background, witnesses of the attack can be heard laughing as Farage attempts to make a swift exit. Farage remains a deeply unpopular and divisive figure in Britain and is frequently criticised for his extremist views ranging from immigration to Brexit.
By Monday afternoon, #Milkshake was the top trend in the United Kingdom on Twitter, closely followed by the name of the milkshake thrower, identified as Paul Crowther, who said he did not regret his actions.