Prince Charles Assault Planned, Man Arrested With Bucket of Manure
Auckland, New Zealand police were able to thwart an attempt by 74-year-old Sam Bracanov to assault Prince Charles and his wife Camilla as they arrived in the city yesterday. Bracanov had planned to dump a bucket of manure on the couple after they arrived, but was put in jail and then released on bail.
Bracanov was caught on CCTV in New Zealand carrying an object, which they later discovered was a bucket of manure, and taken into police custody. He is no fan of the royals and has reportedly attempted to assault or harass them in the past. Bracanov has tried to spray the royals with air freshener "to remove the stink of royalty," according to The Telegraph.
He is part of the anti-royalist movement in New Zealand, and though he was unsuccessful in his attempt to assault Charles and Camilla, others made their presence known to the couple. A small group gathered to greet them with disdain and homemade signs telling them they were unwelcome and to go back to England.
"We don't tolerate royalist fools poncing around," one unnamed protestor told The International Business Times. The couple is due to take a tour of the country as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour; they already toured Papua New Guinea and Australia as part of the celebration.
"I would have done it," Bracanov told MSN. "He didn't qualify [for his position] with his brain, he qualified with his body, and what (the) body [produces] goes to toilet, so I would hit him with what goes to toilet."
Bracanov has used the same plan, although successfully, when King Juan Carlos of Spain visited in 1988. He was arrested then and charged with disorderly behavior. This time around, Bracanov pleaded not guilty to preparing to commit an assault and was released on bail.