Regarding the milkshaking of Farage , Liberal Democrat Tim Farron tweeted that " Violence and intimidation are wrong no matter who they 're aimed at . On top of that , it just makes the man a martyr , it 's playing into his hands " . Writing for '' The Independent '' , Kate Townshend said that whilst she was opposed to far right politics , " on the one hand , nobody should have to walk around in fear of having things thrown at them , but on the other , a temporarily milky face is also just not a satisfying redress " . Josh Marshall wrote for '' Talking Points Memo '' that whilst he understood why the tactic had caught on , he disagreed with the practice , partly because he " would n't find it funny at all " if far right protestors milkshaked or pied liberal politicians , but also because " we place a great deal of societal importance on creating a line between words and physical autonomy ... It 's an impulse we should n’t set aside simply because we find someone loathsome " . Ricky Gervais tweeted that whilst he was pro-Remain , he was opposed to throwing items at people he disagreed with : " that would mean I had run out of good arguments . It would also mean I deserve a smack in the mouth " . Brendan Cox , the widower of the murdered anti-Brexit Labour MP Jo Cox , said that whilst he opposed Farage 's politics , he believed that throwing objects at political opponents " normalises violence and intimidation and we should consistently stand against it " . Some observers took issue with the characterisation of milkshaking as an act of violence . Writing for the '' New Statesman '' , Jonn Elledge argued that " it is far less violent than , say , promising to ' pick up a rifle ' if Brexit is not delivered " , as Farage had done in 2017 , and that " the idea that throwing a milkshake is violence , but that inciting hate against minority groups is n’t , is responsible for a decent-sized chunk of all the world ’s political problems " . Alexander Blanchard , a researcher at Queen Mary University of London , argued that milkshaking did not constitute violence , as " by nearly all accounts , political violence entails intentionally inflicting harm " , whereas according to those involved in milkshaking , they at most aimed to humiliate their targets . He also highlighted the history of using " small and harmless projectiles " like eggs to being a sense of theatricality to political campaigning in Britain , holding that acts of milkshaking did not exceed this level of controversy . Dan Kaszeta , a London-based security consultant who previously worked for the White House Military Office and the United States Secret Service , took issue with Sam Harris ' claim that milkshakings were " mock assassinations " : " Acts of political protest happen . Acts of political violence happen . There is some overlap between the two . But throwing a milkshake , while fundamentally inappropriate , uncivil , and possibly criminal ... is n't the same thing as throwing a brick or shooting a rifle " . Similarly , after Robinson was milkshaked , Conservative MP Johnny Mercer stated that " this is not political violence ... It is a milkshake " . Muntadhar al-Zaidi , the journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush , said , " Not many people are prepared to be jailed or tortured or face consequences for those types of actions " but did not consider milkshaking violent
threw his shoes
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