Less confrontational than spattering fur coats with red paint to promote animal rights, or throwing pies at opponents, glitter bombing generally doesn’t yield dry cleaning bills. [...]
Not everyone is convinced that glitter bombing (or “glittering,” for those who emphasize its nonviolent overtones) is a kinder, gentler form of pranksterism. Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, told Fox News, “The people ought to be arrested who did this.”
When Mr. Gingrich was glittered, he said, “Nice to live in a free country.” Since then, his position has hardened.
“Glitter bombing is clearly an assault and should be treated as such,” he said in an e-mail. “When someone reaches into a bag and throws something on you, how do you know if it is acid or something that stains permanently or something that can blind you? People have every right to their beliefs but no right to assault others.”
The legality of glittering isn’t clear. “I don’t think you’d get much disagreement that like so much else in the law, it’s all a matter of degree,” the First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams said in an e-mail. “Touching someone’s body can be criminal. But it’s awfully unlikely that there would be a prosecution if it’s just a bit of glitter. But in theory, the more that’s dropped, the more likely is prosecution.”