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Activists stick cartoon face on King Charles portrait in protest over animal welfare

The activists also pasted a large speech bubble, saying: "No cheese, Gromit. Look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!"

An activist pastes a picture of Wallace, from the 'Wallace and Gromit' comedy series, over a portrait of Britain's King Charles III.

The group Animal Rising were protesting the standards of the RSPCA animal charity, of which King Charles is patron. Source: AAP / AP

Animal rights activists have pasted a cartoon picture of Wallace from the animated series Wallace and Gromit over the first official portrait of King Charles III, in protest over animal welfare.

The background: The attack is the latest incident of activists vandalising artwork to draw attention to their causes.

The activists from Animal Rising said they aimed to highlight cruelty on farms granted 'assured' status, a guarantee of higher welfare standards, by the RSPCA animal charity of which Charles is the patron.

The key quote: "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." — Daniel Juniper, one of the activists involved.

What else to know: The RSPCA said it was "shocked" by the vandalism and did not condone illegal activity. The charity also said it welcomes scrutiny of its work and would take any allegations seriously. Buckingham Palace did not comment.

What happens now: Animal Rising said its posters could be easily removed without causing damage to the painting.

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Published 12 June 2024 8:23am
Source: SBS, AAP


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