Milkshaking

2019Protest tactic / political memesemi-active
Milkshaking is a 2019 UK protest tactic where activists threw milkshakes at right-wing figures including Nigel Farage, Carl Benjamin, and Tommy Robinson during European Parliament election campaigning.

Milkshaking is the practice of throwing milkshakes at right-wing political figures as a form of street protest. The trend took off across the United Kingdom in May 2019 during European Parliament election campaigning, targeting Tommy Robinson, Carl Benjamin, and Nigel Farage in quick succession1. It sparked fierce debate about the line between political theater and assault, a wave of memes and brand involvement, and one widely debunked hoax about cement-laced drinks4.

TL;DR

Milkshaking is the practice of throwing milkshakes at right-wing political figures as a form of street protest.

Overview

The concept is straightforward: buy a milkshake, dump it on a political figure you oppose. Targets have been almost exclusively right-wing or far-right politicians and activists3. The appeal lies in its accessibility and visual impact, since a politician drenched in pink milkshake looks ridiculous rather than powerful. The tactic sits in a long tradition of food-based political protest alongside egging and pieing, but milkshakes offered a key practical advantage. As philosopher Dr. Benjamin Franks of the University of Glasgow explained, "Nowadays, carrying raw eggs to a nationalist meeting would require some backstory to justify it if challenged by the police. Carrying a milkshake, previously, did not"1.

On May 1, 2019, a protester tossed a milkshake at far-right activist Tommy Robinson on a sidewalk in Bury, England7. The following day, a man named Danyaal Mahmud dumped a McDonald's milkshake over Robinson's head during a confrontation in Warrington1. The Observer tracked Mahmud down and described him as an "everyday hero"1. Both milkshakes were reportedly strawberry. Robinson responded to the second incident by punching the thrower8.

The trend drew inspiration from the "Egg Boy" incident in March 2019, when Australian teenager Will Connolly smashed an egg on the head of far-right senator Fraser Anning3. Egging went viral and showed how food-based protest could make a right-wing figure look foolish on camera. But milkshaking took the concept further. As the Daily Dot put it, "for whatever reason, milkshaking took off in a way egging didn't"3.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube, Twitter (viral spread)
Creator
Danyaal Mahmud
Date
2019
Year
2019

On May 1, 2019, a protester tossed a milkshake at far-right activist Tommy Robinson on a sidewalk in Bury, England. The following day, a man named Danyaal Mahmud dumped a McDonald's milkshake over Robinson's head during a confrontation in Warrington. The Observer tracked Mahmud down and described him as an "everyday hero". Both milkshakes were reportedly strawberry. Robinson responded to the second incident by punching the thrower.

The trend drew inspiration from the "Egg Boy" incident in March 2019, when Australian teenager Will Connolly smashed an egg on the head of far-right senator Fraser Anning. Egging went viral and showed how food-based protest could make a right-wing figure look foolish on camera. But milkshaking took the concept further. As the Daily Dot put it, "for whatever reason, milkshaking took off in a way egging didn't".

How It Spread

Milkshaking spread rapidly through May 2019 as European Parliament campaigns put far-right candidates on streets across Britain. UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin, an anti-feminist YouTuber known as Sargon of Akkad, was milkshaked four times in a single week while campaigning in Salisbury, Truro, Totnes, and Plymouth. A local ice cream parlour in Totnes called Delphini's was urged by police to withdraw its cheeky 99p milkshake offer. The University of the West of England cancelled a hustings where Benjamin was due to appear out of fears of disturbances.

On May 16, police in Edinburgh asked a McDonald's near a Nigel Farage campaign event to stop selling milkshakes. Burger King's UK Twitter account responded by advertising milkshakes in Scotland, a tweet that picked up over 106,000 likes and 19,000 retweets. Four days later, Farage himself was hit with a milkshake while campaigning in Newcastle, England. Slogans like "The Revolution will be Pasteurised!" and "Lactose Against Intolerance!" spread online, and a group called "Milkshakes Against Racism" launched a JustGiving page to fund organized milkshake-throwing at political events.

The tactic crossed the Atlantic on June 29, 2019. During clashes between Proud Boys and antifascist counter-protesters in Portland, Oregon, journalist Andy Ngo was hit with milkshakes, sprayed with Silly String, and physically assaulted. "I just got beat up by the crowd, no police at all, in the middle of the street," Ngo said in a video posted shortly after the attack, showing blood on his face and milkshake in his hair. The footage spread rapidly across social media within hours.

How to Use This Meme

Milkshaking as an online meme typically takes a few forms:

1

Sharing footage or photos of milkshaking incidents with humorous commentary or captions

2

Photoshop edits placing milkshake-drenched politicians into other meme templates or movie scenes

3

Brand engagement screenshots, especially the Burger King Scotland tweet

4

Ironic anticipation posts when a controversial political figure announces a public appearance

5

Protest slogans like "Lactose Against Intolerance" used in comment sections and social media bios

Cultural Impact

Milkshaking broke through into mainstream political discourse in a way few protest tactics do. It was debated by former prime ministers, analyzed by university philosophers, and covered by publications from The Financial Times to The Atlantic. Major brands waded into the conversation, with Burger King's tweet becoming a viral marketing case study.

The practice forced real operational changes. Police asked fast-food restaurants to halt milkshake sales during political events, which only amplified media coverage and public amusement. The cement milkshake hoax spawned its own media literacy discussion, studied as a case of how falsehoods get laundered through official channels and amplified by partisan outlets.

Milkshaking also became a fundraising engine for both sides. Supporters of the milkshakers set up JustGiving pages and organized events. Supporters of the targets raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through GoFundMe campaigns.

Full History

Political scientists and philosophers quickly placed milkshaking in context. Dr. Ivan Gololobov, a politics teaching fellow at the University of Bath, called it "an incredibly powerful image destroying the platform of seriousness for the likes of Robinson and Benjamin". The drink's association with childhood innocence created a pointed contrast when splattered across politicians in suits. "Who drinks milkshake? Kids and teenagers," Gololobov said. "Milkshake on a fancy suit of an upper middle-class bigot symbolises how fake their bravado is and how irrational their arguments are".

There was a symbolic dimension too. The alt-right had adopted milk as a white supremacy symbol, referencing its color and mocking people with lactose intolerance. Dr. Franks argued the milkshake flipped this on its head: "The milkshake is turning that symbol against them. It is an example of political ju-jitsu. It also makes them look foolish, undermining their self-image of power and control".

The ethical debate was sharp and immediate. Comedian Ricky Gervais pushed back against supporters, calling it hypocritical that people who considered certain speech harmful didn't view milkshaking the same way. The Guardian argued milkshaking was political theater rather than violence, while The Atlantic wrote that "Sometimes a milkshake is just a milkshake". Leftist labor writer Kim Kelly published her "perfect" recipe for an anti-fascist milkshake, a detail that showed how deeply the practice had embedded itself in protest culture.

The Portland incident on June 29 changed the conversation. After Ngo's assault, Portland Police tweeted they had "received information that some of the milkshakes thrown today during the demonstration contained quick-drying cement". Conservative commentators including Jack Posobiec ran with the claim. Misleading photos purporting to show concrete burns turned out to be stock photos and fabrications.

The story collapsed under scrutiny. Willamette Week reporter Katie Shepherd found that police had zero physical evidence of cement in any milkshake. The tweet had originated after a single officer thought he spotted something on a cup, and an anonymous email claiming a "Quick Rete Cement Mix" recipe was sent to the department afterward. Conservative media had already pushed the narrative far beyond what any evidence supported. Ben Decker of the media investigations consultancy Memetica called it a calculated effort to "gaslight and attack Antifa," noting that negative posts about Antifa "make it easier to find negative information about Antifa, true or not". Fox News initially reported the cement claims as fact, then quietly rewrote its headline and article.

The legal aftermath was real on both sides. Farage's milkshaker pleaded guilty to common assault and criminal damage, receiving 150 hours of unpaid work and a £520 fine. A GoFundMe set up by conservative commentator Michelle Malkin for Andy Ngo's medical expenses raised nearly $200,000.

Milkshaking went quiet for several years before its biggest revival in June 2024. Farage was hit with a McDonald's banana milkshake while campaigning for Reform UK in Clacton by a 25-year-old woman named Victoria. The incident generated a fresh wave of memes, including a video looping high-resolution photos of the impact set to "Milkshake" by Kelis. Others dropped the moment into the George W. Bush 9/11 whisper format. Farage leaned into it, posing with his own McDonald's milkshake on social media hours later.

Fun Facts

Both milkshakes thrown at Tommy Robinson on May 1 and 2, 2019, were reportedly strawberry.

A local ice cream parlour in Totnes called Delphini's was asked by police to pull its cheeky 99p milkshake deal when Carl Benjamin came to town.

Fox News initially reported the Portland cement milkshake story as fact, then quietly rewrote the headline and article after the debunking.

Farage posed with his own McDonald's milkshake on social media just hours after the 2024 Clacton incident, turning the attack into a publicity photo op.

Derivatives & Variations

Cement Milkshake Hoax

The false claim that Portland protesters mixed quick-drying cement into milkshakes became its own viral narrative, amplified by conservative media before being debunked by journalists[4].

Burger King Scotland Tweet

After McDonald's halted milkshake sales near a Farage event, Burger King UK tweeted that they would keep selling milkshakes in Scotland, turning a protest tactic into a brand moment[3].

Milkshakes Against Racism

An organized group that set up JustGiving fundraising and planned collective milkshake-throwing events at political rallies[1].

Kelis Soundtrack Edit

After the 2024 Clacton incident, a user looped high-resolution photos of Farage being milkshaked and set them to "Milkshake" by Kelis[6].

Frequently Asked Questions

Milkshaking

2019Protest tactic / political memesemi-active
Milkshaking is a 2019 UK protest tactic where activists threw milkshakes at right-wing figures including Nigel Farage, Carl Benjamin, and Tommy Robinson during European Parliament election campaigning.

Milkshaking is the practice of throwing milkshakes at right-wing political figures as a form of street protest. The trend took off across the United Kingdom in May 2019 during European Parliament election campaigning, targeting Tommy Robinson, Carl Benjamin, and Nigel Farage in quick succession. It sparked fierce debate about the line between political theater and assault, a wave of memes and brand involvement, and one widely debunked hoax about cement-laced drinks.

TL;DR

Milkshaking is the practice of throwing milkshakes at right-wing political figures as a form of street protest.

Overview

The concept is straightforward: buy a milkshake, dump it on a political figure you oppose. Targets have been almost exclusively right-wing or far-right politicians and activists. The appeal lies in its accessibility and visual impact, since a politician drenched in pink milkshake looks ridiculous rather than powerful. The tactic sits in a long tradition of food-based political protest alongside egging and pieing, but milkshakes offered a key practical advantage. As philosopher Dr. Benjamin Franks of the University of Glasgow explained, "Nowadays, carrying raw eggs to a nationalist meeting would require some backstory to justify it if challenged by the police. Carrying a milkshake, previously, did not".

On May 1, 2019, a protester tossed a milkshake at far-right activist Tommy Robinson on a sidewalk in Bury, England. The following day, a man named Danyaal Mahmud dumped a McDonald's milkshake over Robinson's head during a confrontation in Warrington. The Observer tracked Mahmud down and described him as an "everyday hero". Both milkshakes were reportedly strawberry. Robinson responded to the second incident by punching the thrower.

The trend drew inspiration from the "Egg Boy" incident in March 2019, when Australian teenager Will Connolly smashed an egg on the head of far-right senator Fraser Anning. Egging went viral and showed how food-based protest could make a right-wing figure look foolish on camera. But milkshaking took the concept further. As the Daily Dot put it, "for whatever reason, milkshaking took off in a way egging didn't".

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube, Twitter (viral spread)
Creator
Danyaal Mahmud
Date
2019
Year
2019

On May 1, 2019, a protester tossed a milkshake at far-right activist Tommy Robinson on a sidewalk in Bury, England. The following day, a man named Danyaal Mahmud dumped a McDonald's milkshake over Robinson's head during a confrontation in Warrington. The Observer tracked Mahmud down and described him as an "everyday hero". Both milkshakes were reportedly strawberry. Robinson responded to the second incident by punching the thrower.

The trend drew inspiration from the "Egg Boy" incident in March 2019, when Australian teenager Will Connolly smashed an egg on the head of far-right senator Fraser Anning. Egging went viral and showed how food-based protest could make a right-wing figure look foolish on camera. But milkshaking took the concept further. As the Daily Dot put it, "for whatever reason, milkshaking took off in a way egging didn't".

How It Spread

Milkshaking spread rapidly through May 2019 as European Parliament campaigns put far-right candidates on streets across Britain. UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin, an anti-feminist YouTuber known as Sargon of Akkad, was milkshaked four times in a single week while campaigning in Salisbury, Truro, Totnes, and Plymouth. A local ice cream parlour in Totnes called Delphini's was urged by police to withdraw its cheeky 99p milkshake offer. The University of the West of England cancelled a hustings where Benjamin was due to appear out of fears of disturbances.

On May 16, police in Edinburgh asked a McDonald's near a Nigel Farage campaign event to stop selling milkshakes. Burger King's UK Twitter account responded by advertising milkshakes in Scotland, a tweet that picked up over 106,000 likes and 19,000 retweets. Four days later, Farage himself was hit with a milkshake while campaigning in Newcastle, England. Slogans like "The Revolution will be Pasteurised!" and "Lactose Against Intolerance!" spread online, and a group called "Milkshakes Against Racism" launched a JustGiving page to fund organized milkshake-throwing at political events.

The tactic crossed the Atlantic on June 29, 2019. During clashes between Proud Boys and antifascist counter-protesters in Portland, Oregon, journalist Andy Ngo was hit with milkshakes, sprayed with Silly String, and physically assaulted. "I just got beat up by the crowd, no police at all, in the middle of the street," Ngo said in a video posted shortly after the attack, showing blood on his face and milkshake in his hair. The footage spread rapidly across social media within hours.

How to Use This Meme

Milkshaking as an online meme typically takes a few forms:

1

Sharing footage or photos of milkshaking incidents with humorous commentary or captions

2

Photoshop edits placing milkshake-drenched politicians into other meme templates or movie scenes

3

Brand engagement screenshots, especially the Burger King Scotland tweet

4

Ironic anticipation posts when a controversial political figure announces a public appearance

5

Protest slogans like "Lactose Against Intolerance" used in comment sections and social media bios

Cultural Impact

Milkshaking broke through into mainstream political discourse in a way few protest tactics do. It was debated by former prime ministers, analyzed by university philosophers, and covered by publications from The Financial Times to The Atlantic. Major brands waded into the conversation, with Burger King's tweet becoming a viral marketing case study.

The practice forced real operational changes. Police asked fast-food restaurants to halt milkshake sales during political events, which only amplified media coverage and public amusement. The cement milkshake hoax spawned its own media literacy discussion, studied as a case of how falsehoods get laundered through official channels and amplified by partisan outlets.

Milkshaking also became a fundraising engine for both sides. Supporters of the milkshakers set up JustGiving pages and organized events. Supporters of the targets raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through GoFundMe campaigns.

Full History

Political scientists and philosophers quickly placed milkshaking in context. Dr. Ivan Gololobov, a politics teaching fellow at the University of Bath, called it "an incredibly powerful image destroying the platform of seriousness for the likes of Robinson and Benjamin". The drink's association with childhood innocence created a pointed contrast when splattered across politicians in suits. "Who drinks milkshake? Kids and teenagers," Gololobov said. "Milkshake on a fancy suit of an upper middle-class bigot symbolises how fake their bravado is and how irrational their arguments are".

There was a symbolic dimension too. The alt-right had adopted milk as a white supremacy symbol, referencing its color and mocking people with lactose intolerance. Dr. Franks argued the milkshake flipped this on its head: "The milkshake is turning that symbol against them. It is an example of political ju-jitsu. It also makes them look foolish, undermining their self-image of power and control".

The ethical debate was sharp and immediate. Comedian Ricky Gervais pushed back against supporters, calling it hypocritical that people who considered certain speech harmful didn't view milkshaking the same way. The Guardian argued milkshaking was political theater rather than violence, while The Atlantic wrote that "Sometimes a milkshake is just a milkshake". Leftist labor writer Kim Kelly published her "perfect" recipe for an anti-fascist milkshake, a detail that showed how deeply the practice had embedded itself in protest culture.

The Portland incident on June 29 changed the conversation. After Ngo's assault, Portland Police tweeted they had "received information that some of the milkshakes thrown today during the demonstration contained quick-drying cement". Conservative commentators including Jack Posobiec ran with the claim. Misleading photos purporting to show concrete burns turned out to be stock photos and fabrications.

The story collapsed under scrutiny. Willamette Week reporter Katie Shepherd found that police had zero physical evidence of cement in any milkshake. The tweet had originated after a single officer thought he spotted something on a cup, and an anonymous email claiming a "Quick Rete Cement Mix" recipe was sent to the department afterward. Conservative media had already pushed the narrative far beyond what any evidence supported. Ben Decker of the media investigations consultancy Memetica called it a calculated effort to "gaslight and attack Antifa," noting that negative posts about Antifa "make it easier to find negative information about Antifa, true or not". Fox News initially reported the cement claims as fact, then quietly rewrote its headline and article.

The legal aftermath was real on both sides. Farage's milkshaker pleaded guilty to common assault and criminal damage, receiving 150 hours of unpaid work and a £520 fine. A GoFundMe set up by conservative commentator Michelle Malkin for Andy Ngo's medical expenses raised nearly $200,000.

Milkshaking went quiet for several years before its biggest revival in June 2024. Farage was hit with a McDonald's banana milkshake while campaigning for Reform UK in Clacton by a 25-year-old woman named Victoria. The incident generated a fresh wave of memes, including a video looping high-resolution photos of the impact set to "Milkshake" by Kelis. Others dropped the moment into the George W. Bush 9/11 whisper format. Farage leaned into it, posing with his own McDonald's milkshake on social media hours later.

Fun Facts

Both milkshakes thrown at Tommy Robinson on May 1 and 2, 2019, were reportedly strawberry.

A local ice cream parlour in Totnes called Delphini's was asked by police to pull its cheeky 99p milkshake deal when Carl Benjamin came to town.

Fox News initially reported the Portland cement milkshake story as fact, then quietly rewrote the headline and article after the debunking.

Farage posed with his own McDonald's milkshake on social media just hours after the 2024 Clacton incident, turning the attack into a publicity photo op.

Derivatives & Variations

Cement Milkshake Hoax

The false claim that Portland protesters mixed quick-drying cement into milkshakes became its own viral narrative, amplified by conservative media before being debunked by journalists[4].

Burger King Scotland Tweet

After McDonald's halted milkshake sales near a Farage event, Burger King UK tweeted that they would keep selling milkshakes in Scotland, turning a protest tactic into a brand moment[3].

Milkshakes Against Racism

An organized group that set up JustGiving fundraising and planned collective milkshake-throwing events at political rallies[1].

Kelis Soundtrack Edit

After the 2024 Clacton incident, a user looped high-resolution photos of Farage being milkshaked and set them to "Milkshake" by Kelis[6].

Frequently Asked Questions