King Charles has been targeted by an animal rights protester, who was found guilty of causing thousands of pounds of damage to a fountain at Buckingham Palace.
The 75-year-old was hit out by the convicted for not taking action to call for a “plant-based food system”.
McKechnie – who’s one the five activists who were found guilty of criminal damage on Wednesday for damaging the Queen Victoria Memorial water feature outside the palace in 2021 – accused the British monarch of “barking the right stuff” but not “biting”.
Louis McKechnie, 23, Christopher Bennett, 27, Riley Ings, 27, Claire Smith, 26, and Rachel Steele, 48, were all convicted of the crime at Southwark Crown Court.
McKechnie, who’s part of Animal Rebellion, said he was “relatively unsurprised” at the verdicts, and labelled the UK’s justice system “rigged” after his conviction, adding: “I don’t feel any guilt for my actions, but I don’t expect the courts to actually be about justice and truth… It’s about maintaining the status quo and it has effectively done that.”
The activist also said the five’s message to the King was to “call for a plant-based food system if you really care about any of the things you claim to. We did this because we think the Royal Family still has a responsibility to this day to step up and show true leadership.”
He went on: “If Charles claims to be, you know, a climate-conscious King, he’s got to show it, surely. He barks the right stuff, but where is his bite? I’m not seeing it.”
“King Charles, that’s our message to him: Call for a plant-based food system if you really care about any of the things you claim to.”
The activists had stormed the fountain on August 26, 2021, dyeing its water red and letting off smoke flares as they accused the Royal Family of sponsoring a “royal bloodbath” – repairs for which soared past £7,000.
