A charity worker whose Twitter account wrote that acid should have been thrown over Nigel Farage has been suspended from her job pending an investigation.
Ruth Townsley appears to have tweeted that she would have 'preferred acid' be thrown over the Brexit Party leader who yesterday was doused in milkshake on the streets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Paul Crowther, 32, has been charged with common assault and criminal damage in connection with the 'protest' and is due in court next month.
But an account run by Ruth Townsley (@vintagecyclist) suggested that the Five Guys £5.25 milk-based drink was not sufficient.
The account posted: “Bravo to Paul Crowther, good on you mate.
“Great that milkshakes have become a thing when it comes to the racists in our midst.
“I’d prefer acid but milkshakes will do for now I guess.”
The account was subsequently deleted - but not before it was spotted by the Brexit Party, which retweeted it from its Brexit Party South East account.
Brexit Party South East subsequently said: “Please ensure you let @HappyCItyUK know what you think about the head of measurement and policy who is encouraging ACID ATTACKS on politicians.”
Happy City’s website features a biography of an employee named Ruth Townsley written in 2015, in which she describes herself as “programme manager of Happy City’s 12 month Innovate UK-funded project to develop an interactive tool which will enable policy makers to see the health benefits of improvements in wellbeing.”
According to the Express the charity said that Ruth Townsley had been suspended and an investigation had been launched.
In a statement the charity said: “Happy City is aware that one of their employees has previously posted tweets from their personal account including one about the Nigel Farage protest.
“We do not in any way agree with the contents of these tweets which contradicted all of our strongly held values.
“We believe all politicians have a right to have their voices heard, and condemn violence of any sort at any level of society.
“We are fully investigating this incident internally in accordance with our procedures.”
Bristol-based Happy City’s mission statement says it aims to “change the compass from pointing to consumption and growth toward wellbeing for people, place and planet” features.
Speaking after yesterday’s incident, Mr Farage said he did not know what was being thrown at him, and called for a message to be sent that "people can't behave like this".
He added: “I am concerned about the sheer level of hatred coming from those who think they're better than me.
"I just think we've reached a point where normal campaigning is becoming very difficult, and that in a democratic society cannot be a good thing."
Mr Farage said what happened to him was "part of something bigger that's going on".
"Civilised democracy only works if you've got the loser's consent - you know, you lose the election, you don't like it, but you accept it because that's the system.
"Ever since 24 June 2016 we've had senior members of the British establishment - including two former prime ministers - literally refusing to accept the result, saying that those that voted Brexit didn't know what they were voting for - they're thick, they're stupid, they're lazy, they're racist, they're working class, they're fat, they're horrible.
"And that gives people on the other side of the argument a sense of moral superiority.
"And if you think you're better than everybody else that then leads, I'm afraid, to a breakdown, not just in democracy, but in the civilisation that goes with it."
Following the 'milkshaking', Mr Farage did not leave his campaign bus in Wakefield later that day.
Several MEP candidates have been covered in milkshake while campaigning including independent Tommy Robinson and UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin.
