Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage Reuters

A man who attacked British conservative politician Nigel Farage with a milkshake will have to pay him compensation and also carry out community service, a court ruled Monday. Farage is the head of the Brexit Party, and perhaps the biggest anti-European Union voice in the United Kingdom.

Paul Crowther, 32, threw the milkshake as Farage was campaigning in May in Newcastle ahead of the European elections. The judge at the North Tyneside Magistrates' Court said that the act was an "act of crass stupidity."

Farage is considered a polarizing figure in U.K. politics. He has frequently pointed out migrants as a major reason why the country needs to leave the EU. In 2016, an anti-migrant poster unveiled by Farage was reported to police, as it was described as a "blatant attempt to incite racial hatred."

After the U.K. voted to leave the European Union in 2016, criticism was often directed at Farage and the pro-Brexit camp for disinformation during the referendum campaign.

In a June 2016 appearance on "Good Morning Britain," Farage called it a "mistake" to promise that £350 million a week would be spent on the National Health Service if the country voted for Brexit.

Farage began his career as a member of the right-wing Conservative Party but left in 1992 due to former Prime Minister John Major's decision to sign the Maastricht treaty, which furthered European integration and established the Euro as a currency.