Animal rights activists pasted a caricature over a portrait of King Charles III on Tuesday at a London art gallery, the latest in a series of incidents at UK museums as activists use vandalism to publicize their causes.
LONDON — Animal rights activists pasted a cartoon image on a portrait of king Charles III Tuesday at a London art gallery, the latest in a series of incidents at U.K. museums as activists use vandalism to publicize their causes.
A group called Animal Rising shared a video of activists pasting an image of a character named Wallace, from the sitcom “Wallace and Gromit,” over the king’s head.
The so-called “comic redecoration” was designed to highlight an investigation that, according to Animal Rising, found widespread violation of animal husbandry rules on farms approved by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
A speech bubble next to Wallace’s head read: “No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!”
The painting is protected by plastic sheeting and was undamaged, according to the Philip Mold Gallery, where it is on display.
Jonathan Yeo’s larger-than-life painting was unveiled last month and is the first portrait of Charles to be completed since ascended the throne in 2022. It captures the king in shades of red with his hands clasped over the hilt of his sword and a butterfly fluttering over his right shoulder.
The portrait was commissioned to celebrate Charles’ 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company, which was established more than 600 years ago as a trade association for wool merchants but is now primarily a philanthropic organisation.
On May 10, two Climate change protesters attacked The protective display case housing an original copy of Magna Carta at the British Library. The 800-year-old document, considered one of the foundations of Western democracy, was not damaged.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
