Animal rights activist Brittany Drake, who dumped glitter on Harvard University president Alan Garber at an alumni day event in May to protest Harvard research practices, appeared last week in court, where she faces three felony charges for the incident, The Boston Globe reported.
Drake, who pleaded not guilty during her initial arraignment in June, is charged with assault and battery on a person over the age of 60 and two counts of malicious destruction of property over $1,200, according to the newspaper. Drake was also charged with three misdemeanors for the May 31 alumni day incident: disturbing a public assembly, trespassing and disturbing the peace.
Video of the incident shows Drake approaching Garber as he begins to speak, then dumping a container of glitter on Garber while saying, “For the baby monkeys” and “For the animals in the labs.” The camera briefly cuts away to the crowd as Garber says, “That’s fine, I can use a little glitter.” Covered in gold sparkles, he can soon be seen saying, “I hope that Harvard will always continue to be a place where speech, free speech, continues to thrive.”
Garber, then serving as interim, officially became Harvard’s 31st president last week.
Drake, a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was protesting experiments on primates conducted by Martha Livingstone, Takeda Professor of Neurobiology, according to PETA. Harvard has previously accused PETA of publishing misleading information about Livingstone’s lab.
Dumping glitter emerged as a form of protest known as glitter bombing in the early 2010s. The practice has largely targeted conservative politicians, often those who oppose LGBTQIA+ rights.
