London (AFP) – A US woman influencer with ties to President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement has been charged with assault by beating, police said Friday, following an incident in which a family was allegedly racially abused and pepper sprayed in a London metro station.
Melissa Rein Lively’s partner, German national Philipp Ostermann, 37, was charged with two racially aggravated public order crimes and another offence, the British Transport Police said. It follows an incident on October 11 at Bond Street Underground station in central London in which a family, including two young children—one of whom was in a pushchair—were attacked, according to reports based on police statements at the time.
Rein Lively, 40, founded “America First,” a public relations agency that provides “anti-woke” services. The PR consultant vied for the job of White House spokesperson for Trump’s second term, but the president ultimately picked long-time loyalist Karoline Leavitt. Ostermann reportedly works in finance.
The first hearing for the case will be at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, according to police.
© 2024 AFP
