Just Stop Oil activists have thrown soup over a priceless painting by Vincent Van Gogh in the National Gallery. You can see the whole thing in the video below.
If they’re chucking tins of soup around, surely Andy Warhol would be a more relevant target, right?
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Joking aside, the activists entered the central London gallery earlier this morning, hurled a load of foodstuffs at the painting – the Dutch artist’s iconic ‘Sunflowers’ – then glued themselves to the wall in their latest environmental protest.
Don't worry - the painting is covered by a layer of glass, so is unlikely to have been permanently damaged.
After chucking the soup at the painting, one of the protesters then asked the gathered crowd: “What is worth more, art or life?”
“Is it worth more than food?
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“More than justice?
“Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting, or the protection of our planet and people?
“The cost-of-living crisis is part of the cost of oil crisis.”
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Another of the Just Stop Oil folks then added: “UK families will be forced to choose between heating or eating this winter, as fossil fuel companies reap record profits.
“But the cost of oil and gas isn't limited to our bills.
“Somalia is now facing an apocalyptic famine, caused by drought and fuelled by the climate crisis.
“Millions are being forced to move and tens of thousands face starvation.
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“This is the future we choose for ourselves if we push for new oil and gas.”
In case you’re not aware, Just Stop Oil is a number of groups who are committed to pressuring the government into ending new licenses and removing consent for the exploration, production, and development of fossil fuels in the UK.
It’s a decent aim, considering the fact that fossil fuels are contributing massively to the destruction of the planet through human-led climate change.
On their website, the group is quoted as saying: "The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet.
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“Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future".
As a result of these acts of co-ordinated protest, which have included blocking roads and interrupting Premier League football games, many activists have been arrested.
Just yesterday 20 Just Stop Oil protesters were taken by police after sitting in a road in central London.
After that, Susan Hall, chairman of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, said: "The silent majority are sick to the back teeth of having their lives disrupted by the gridlock that these demonstrations cause.
"It makes no sense to me at all that the police are not able to remove these people."
However, on Twitter, the group responded: "Well, Susan, ordinary people are sick to the back teeth of having to accept that their children won’t have liveable future."
Topics: Art, Environment, London, UK News, Just Stop Oil
Tom Wood