Czech politicians Jiří Paroubek (left) and Karel Březina were attacked with eggs at a rally for the 2009 European parliament election in the Czech Republic

Egging is the act of throwing eggs at people or property. The eggs are usually raw, but can be hard-boiled or rotten.

The egging of politicians is a well-known form of protest, and egging cars or houses can be done as a form of vandalism, with or without reason, but in some places egging is done for benign or celebratory reasons.

Damage and injury

Eggs can easily cause damage when thrown at property, and egging is considered vandalism. When thrown at cars, eggs can dent a body panel or scratch off paint where the shell breaks. Egg whites can damage certain types of vehicle and building paint. Dried egg can be difficult to remove, and removal attempts with scrapers, abrasives or flammable cleaning solvents can damage some surfaces.

Victims of egging may be entitled to financial compensation for the cost of repairs and cleaning, and to fix or replace damaged property. Common charges related to egging are damage to property, vandalism, and nuisance.[1] In more serious cases where injuries have resulted, perpetrators may be charged with assault and fined.[2]

Egging of a person's face can cause serious injuries and eye injury,[3][4] and may constitute assault and battery.[5] A nurse was blinded in one eye when an egg was thrown at her from a passing car in March 2008 in Dublin.[6] A boy in Long Island lost sight in one eye after teens from a local high school threw eggs out of a passing car on Halloween in 2005.[7]

As protest

Hong Kong protesters egging a photo of Xi Jinping

Eggs are sometimes thrown at people or buildings as a form of protest. High-profile people who have been egged include: David Cameron,[8] Steve Ballmer,[9] Miloš Zeman,[10][11] Bronisław Komorowski,[12][13] Arnold Schwarzenegger,[14] John Prescott,[15][16][17] Helmut Kohl, Nicolas Sarkozy, Nick Griffin,[18] David Blaine,[19] Richard Prebble,[20] Ed Miliband,[21] Charles III,[22]Nigel Farage,[23] John Tsang,[24] Luis Fortuño,[25] and Rafael Correa.[26]

In 1917, an egg thrown at then Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes led to the formation of the Commonwealth Police.[27][28]

On 1 June 1970, UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson was hit in the face by a raw egg thrown by a member of the Young Conservatives, while campaigning for re-election.[29]

During the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, candidate Viktor Yanukovych was rushed to hospital after he had been hit with an egg (while government officials claimed he was hit by a brick), which became a source of ridicule.[30]

Irish bank AIB was egged in response to the Irish banking crisis of 2009.[31] The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament was egged by deputies inside the Ukrainian parliament in 2010 as a protest against a natural gas agreement.[32][33]

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio da Silva had eggs and rocks thrown at his bus by protesters in March 2019 while he was visiting southern Brazil.[29] In July 2017, Maria Victoria Barros, a member of the state assembly in Paraná and daughter of Ricardo Barros, Health Minister during Michel Temer's government, had eggs thrown at her during her wedding as she left the church.[34]

After blaming Muslim immigrants for the anti-Muslim Christchurch massacre in March 2019, Australian politician Fraser Anning was egged by a teenager, who was arrested, but later released without charges.[35] While campaigning during the May 2019 Australian federal election, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was the target of an attempted egging by a 24-year-old woman at a Country Women's Association event held at the Albury Entertainment Centre. The egg failed to break on contact with Morrison's head and instead bounced off. The lady was immediately arrested. [36] Former Australian PM Julia Gillard was also egged by protesters in July 2010.[37]

For specific events

Egging is sometimes associated with certain events and holidays.

In parts of the UK and the United States, October 30 is referred to as "Mischief Night", when teenagers rub soap bars on car windows, spray paint graffiti, yell profanity, throw eggs at houses, adorn trees with toilet paper, and run away after ringing doorbells.

In Brazil, it is common to throw eggs at someone on their birthday, with or without their consent, as a friendly prank.[38][39] Usually, flour is also poured on the person's head after the eggs, with the idea of "a cake being made on their heads". A recent example is when Guarani FC midfielder José Fernando Fumagalli had eggs and wheat flour thrown by his teammates during his 40th birthday celebrations and retirement announcement in 2017.[38][39][40] The tradition originated in the 1980s,[38] in Mexico, where it was common to break "cascarones" (eggshells) on a person's head at their birthday party as a vow of good fortune. The eggs were usually filled with confetti and colored with dye or crayons.[39]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nottingham riots: 11-year-old girl facing criminaldamage charges". Metro UK. 11 August 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  2. ↑ McNerthney, Casey (15 October 2008). "What happens to people caught egging?". Seattle PI. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  3. ↑ Stewart R. M., Durnian J. M., Briggs M. C. "Here's egg in your eye": a prospective study of blunt ocular trauma resulting from thrown eggs. Emergency Medicine Journal. 23(10):756–8, Oct 2006.
  4. ↑ "Egg raid victim granted $70,000". One Perth. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Nigeria Law, Act-Part V Assaults". Nigeria Law. Archived from the original on November 24, 2002. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  6. ↑ Youth blinded nurse in 'egging' attack from car, Conor Gallagher, Irish Independent, 6 November 2009.
  7. ↑ Crowely, Kieran (November 16, 2005). "4 BUSTED IN EGG TOSS – 'PRANK' BLINDED L.I. BOY". New York Post.
  8. ↑ "David Cameron is struck by an egg". BBC News. 21 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Chen, Jason (19 May 2008). "Steve Ballmer Egged in Hungary!". Gizmodo.
  10. ↑ "Zemana vypískali na Albertově, ochranka ho bránila před vajíčky". iDNES.cz. 17 November 2014.
  11. ↑ Crowd hurls eggs, tomatoes at Zeman Archived 2015-07-21 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ "Prezydent Komorowski zaatakowany jajkiem na Ukrainie". TVN24.pl.
  13. ↑ "Polish leader egged during visit to Ukraine massacre site". Reuters. 14 July 2013 – via www.reuters.com.
  14. ↑ "Schwarzenegger vows 'people's takeover' of Sacramento". CNN. 2003-09-03. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  15. ↑ "Egg Head". bofunk.com. Archived from the original on 2006-04-18. Retrieved 2006-04-30.
  16. ↑ "Prescott sees red". BBC News. 17 May 2001.
  17. ↑ "Prescott 'regrets' blow". BBC News. 17 May 2001.
  18. ↑ Staff; agencies (9 June 2009). "Nick Griffin abandons BNP press conference under hail of eggs". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  19. ↑ "Blaine pelted with eggs". Evening Standard. September 8, 2003.
  20. ↑ List, Kevin (July 29, 2005). "A Week of It: Prebble's Departure, Crying and Shame". Scoop.
  21. ↑ Beattie, Jason (14 August 2013). "VIDEO: Watch as Ed Miliband is egged during campaign visit to London street market". mirror.
  22. ↑ "Man detained after appearing to throw eggs at King Charles and Camilla". The Guardian. 9 November 2022.
  23. ↑ "Protester hits Nigel Farage with egg". BBC News. 1 May 2014.
  24. ↑ "Man who threw egg at John Tsang finishes jail term, vows to keep fighting for Hong Kong's poor". South China Morning Post. 20 May 2015.
  25. ↑ "Vídeo: Lanzan huevo a Luis Fortuño". El Nuevo Dia. 29 September 2009.
  26. ↑ Hora, Diario La. "Ráfaga de huevos para Rafael Correa en La Maná - La Hora". La Hora Noticias de Ecuador, sus provincias y el mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-01-25.
  27. ↑ "William Hughes: timeline". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  28. ↑ Fitzharding, L. F. (1983). "Hughes, William Morris (Billy) (1862–1952)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  29. 1 2 "Manifestantes jogam pedras e ovos contra Caravana de Lula no sul do país". ISTOÉ Independente (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  30. ↑ Revolution in Orange, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, ISBN 0-87003-221-6 (page 58 + 59 written by Taras Kuzio)
  31. ↑ "AIB bank in Cork egged by man in suit". 17 February 2009 – via www.rte.ie. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. ↑ Ukrainian parliament ratifies agreement extending Russian Black Sea Fleet's presence in Crimea, Kyiv Post (April 27, 2010)
  33. ↑ Oppositional deputies throw eggs in Lytvyn, Kyiv Post (April 27, 2010)
  34. ↑ "Brazil protesters pelt politician with eggs at her wedding". BBC News. 16 July 2017.
  35. ↑ "Australia 'egg boy' clash: Senator cleared as teenager handed caution". BBC News. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  36. ↑ Zhou, Naaman (7 May 2019). "Federal election 2019: woman charged after Australia's PM Scott Morrison egged" – via www.theguardian.com.
  37. ↑ Styles, Aja (9 July 2010). "Protester hurls egg at Julia Gillard in first WA visit". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  38. 1 2 3 "Qual a origem da festa de aniversário?". Mundo Estranho (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  39. 1 2 3 "Por que é costume quebrar ovos na cabeça de aniversariantes?". Superinteressante (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  40. ↑ "Aniversariante, Fumagalli leva ovada e praticamente anuncia aposentadoria". Globoesporte (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-03-29.
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