Videos that were shared on social media showed that environmental activists in London threw tomato soup on a painting by Vincent van Gogh called “Sunflowers” that was on display at the National Gallery.
The Metropolitan Police of London said that two protesters from the group Just Stop Oil were taken into custody after “throwing something over a painting” at a gallery in Trafalgar Square. The protesters were charged with vandalism and trespassing in a dangerous way.
Damien Gayle, the environment correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, posted a video to Twitter, which was then shared by an environmental activism group. In the video, two protesters wearing T-shirts that said “Just Stop Oil” threw cans of soup at a famous painting. On their T-shirts, the protesters had written “Just Stop Oil.”
Who are these activists from Just Stop Oil?
One of the activists shouted, “What is worth more, art or life?” after they had stuck themselves to the wall.
“Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” she asks.
In the video, you can hear someone say “Oh my God!” when the soup hits the canvas, and someone yells “security?” when the soup drips out of the frame and onto the floor.
In a statement, Just Stop Oil said that its members had thrown two cans of Heinz Tomato soup over a painting at 11:00 (1000 GMT) to demand that the government of the United Kingdom stop all new oil and gas projects.
“Sunflowers” By Van Gogh
The Sunflower painting is said to be worth an estimated $84.2 million.
At first, it wasn’t clear if the painting was under glass or not.
The activists vandalized the painting Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh at the National Gallery.
Vandalism and other ways of destroying art are always done by people in power.
But it is also a rejection of civilization and the progress that people as a whole have made.
English