Animal rights activists deface King Charles III portrait

Animal rights activists defaced a new portrait of King Charles III on Tuesday as it hung in a London gallery.

According to British media reports, two men, believed to be from the group Animal Rising, were caught on camera placing an image of the character Wallace from the cartoon Wallace and Gromit over the king's face. They added a speech bubble reading: "No cheese Gromit, look at all this cruelty on RSPCA farms!"

‼️BREAKING: No Cheese Gromit! King Charles Portrait Redecorated‼️ @RoyalFamily

‼️Find out why King Charles, Patron of the RSPCA should ask them to drop the Assured Scheme -> https://t.co/KTZwbikAaV  pic.twitter.com/3pbemlZCE0

— Animal Rising (@AnimalRising) June 11, 2024

The portrait, created by British artist Jonathan Yeo, had been unveiled just last month at the Philip Mould Gallery in London, but received mixed reviews. Featuring King Charles with a butterfly seemingly landing on his shoulder against a fiery red background, the artwork sparked controversy online, with some likening the scene to the king "bathing in blood."

In a social media post, the activist group claimed responsibility for the vandalism, citing concerns over the RSPCA Assured label attached to some food products. The label, indicating high animal welfare standards, has received scrutiny from Animal Rising, which released a report alleging poor animal welfare conditions on 45 farms across Britain certified by RSPCA Assured.

The group called on King Charles to suspend his support for the RSPCA charity, of which he is a royal patron, urging action in response to their investigation findings.

[Source: CBS News]