Queen’s London home Buckingham Palace targeted by protesters

The Queen’s London home has been targeted by protesters who dyed the iconic Buckingham Palace fountain red in a demonstration against the alleged use of crown land for hunting and animal agriculture. 

• The Queen is not currently at home at Buckingham Palace, but this historic London building remains her primary royal residence.  
• Buckingham Palace’s Victoria Memorial water feature has now been targeted by animal rights activists who dyed the white marble blood red. 
• This royal news comes as it was revealed that the Princess Diana statue is to be opened to the public for this heartbreaking reason. 

The Queen has multiple royal palaces, each known for their unique history and stunning architecture. From Windsor Castle, where she and her beloved late husband, Prince Philip, spent much of last year, to Balmoral Castle in Scotland where she is currently enjoying her annual summer break, each of these palaces holds a special place in her heart. Though it is Buckingham Palace in London that is perhaps considered one of the grandest royal residences and is the palace most recognizable to royal fans across the world. 

Now the iconic Victoria Memorial water feature at Buckingham Palace has become the target of protestors. As reported by The Independent (opens in new tab), several animal rights activists have been arrested after dyeing the fountains red in a protest against the alleged use of crown land for activities such as hunting and animal agriculture. 

The publication claims that Animal Rebellion, a separate yet sister organization to environmental movement Extinction Rebellion, protested after it was recently reported that Her Majesty’s lawyers lobbied Scottish ministers to change a draft law. This is said to have been to exempt the monarch’s private land from an initiative designed to help reduce carbon emissions.

Taking to Twitter, the Metropolitan Police Events official account posted regarding the recent protest, writing, "A number of activists have vandalised the Victoria Memorial water feature outside Buckingham Palace. We are on scene and arrests have been made. The suspects are being taken to custody."

Animal Rebellion describe themselves as a mass movement that was started with the aim of helping to bring about a transition towards a sustainable plant-based food system. According to The Telegraph (opens in new tab), Harley McDonald-Eckersall, a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion, discussed the organization’s reasoning behind the recent protest.

"The crown estate is the biggest landowner in the UK and they choose to use this land for animal agriculture and hunting, which not only decimate our environment but cause the deaths of millions of lives every year,” Harley explained. 

“It’s time for a new system based on justice and compassion and the royal family should be leading the way. Crown land should be used to grow healthy, nutritious food for all and to provide homes for the animals we share this country with."

"We are demanding that the Queen end the use of crown land for industries which are contributing to the climate and ecological emergency and the death of animals," Harley went on to declare. 

The recent protest at the Queen’s London residence comes after the organization had previously barricaded a McDonald’s factory in Scunthorpe. With this action, they reportedly intended to attempt to get the popular chain to move towards having an “entirely plant-based food menu” by 2025.