A Pride festival is facing significant backlash after hosting a controversial game called “toss a milkshake over Nigel Farage.” Critics have accused the event organizers of inciting violence against the Reform UK leader.
The game, created by the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire branch of Stand up to Racism, featured at their stall during Chesterfield Pride on Sunday, July 21. Participants could choose sponges representing different milkshake flavors and throw them at a cardboard cutout of Farage, receiving prizes for successful hits. Farage has been a target of milkshake attacks twice, once in 2019 and again this June during his election campaign in Essex.
Richard McAllister, who did not attend the event but saw images online, condemned the game in an interview with the Derbyshire Times, calling it a “pernicious” act that “incited violence.” He drew parallels to the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump and criticized the police for not intervening. “The law has to be applied equally to everyone. This is not how liberal democracy works,” McAllister stated.
The reaction on social media was equally divided. Some users expressed their anger, arguing that such actions at Pride should promote unity rather than division. “As a gay man, I find it utterly pathetic to mock someone who has been physically attacked multiple times,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Chesterfield Pride is supposed to unite, not divide. It’s no longer about supporting gay rights but rather a political movement.”
In response, a spokesperson for Stand Up Against Racism defended the game as “light-hearted” and “harmless fun,” suggesting that Farage himself might have found it amusing. They emphasized that no one was harmed and that the police, who were present, did not see any issues with the game. “The spirit of Chesterfield Pride is a joyful day out in defense of a serious cause. That was the spirit of the game,” the spokesperson remarked.
Chesterfield Pride, which maintains an anti-homophobic and anti-racist stance, declined to comment on the controversial stall. Meanwhile, the police confirmed that a complaint had been lodged but found no laws had been broken, deciding against any further action.