The latest attack occurred in Totnes, Devon — the soaked parliamentary hopeful who'd been due to address crowds with Milo Yiannopolous, was led away by party apparatchiks as crowds jeered him. The thrower has since been arrested — although police have made no arrests in their investigation into who slashed the UKIP campaign bus' tyres later that day, delaying the party's next scheduled campaign stop in Exeter.
Electioneering has been somewhat disastrous for Benjamin so far.
"Milkshake, Carl Benjamin in Totnes."https://t.co/evFkm2XDfH pic.twitter.com/YZk8ME4HJy
— optimal crow nutrition 🍲🍀👺 (@BinAnimals) May 12, 2019
On 10th May, his election drive kicked off in Truro, Cornwall — members of the crowd chanted abuse upon his arrival, kippers were thrown at him, then a milkshake was tossed in his direction. The next day in Plymouth, the UKIP campaign bus was given a parking ticket, and then hit with a milkshake, covering the large picture of party leader Gerard Batten which adorns the side in sticky, garish liquid.
WELL DONE, CORNWALL!
— KT #Ode2Joy Parker🐬 (@lunaperla) May 11, 2019
We are all the guy who greeted Carl Benjamin by throwing a milkshake, or the woman throwing dead fish, or the other woman holding a sign saying, "Super callous fragile racist sexist UKIP a***hole”.
He's not fit to represent SW/Gib as an MEP#EUelections2019 pic.twitter.com/Y0YDI1E3R4
Benjamin would go on to announce to supporters and demonstrators alike that rape jokes were acceptable, in reference to controversial comments — a reference to the controversy surrounding several remarks he's made about Labour MP Jess Phillips.
Dramatic scenes in #Truro — scuffles break out after two protestors tried to throw milkshakes at UKIP EU Election candidate Carl Benjamin. @DC_Police are there
— BBC Radio Cornwall (@BBCCornwall) May 10, 2019
Full reports to follow from @tamsinmelville @BBCSpotlight @johnnyoshea
BBC Local live feed ➡️ https://t.co/CrWdhHfEAt pic.twitter.com/JxG3wv4U6l
In May 2016, Benjamin tweeted at her "I wouldn't even rape you ##AntiRapeThreats #FeminismIsCancer". The comment, since deleted, has been repeatedly invoked and condemned since Benjamin announced his candidacy 19th April — on the 26th, he responded to his critics by posting a video on his YouTube channel in which he sarcastically apologised for his "hardline stance of not even raping her" and suggested "with enough pressure" he "might cave".
The statement is being investigated by police, and has prompted YouTube to demonetise ‘Sargon of Akkad' — which is apparently his primary source of income.
UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin (AKA Sargon of Akkad) lost the ability to make money off of YouTube, according to his Minds account.
— Michael Edison Hayden (@MichaelEHayden) May 9, 2019
He called YouTube his "primary source of income."
UK police are also investigating him for talking about rape in the context of female Labour MP: pic.twitter.com/dktv3dmc02
Milkshakes have seemingly become a popular form of aggressive but non-violent protest for opponents of controversial figures in UK politics. For instance Tommy Robinson, who's standing as an independent in the European elections, was hit with milkshakes in two days while campaigning in Bury and Warrington earlier in May.
