After the attack on a masterpiece by Vincent van Gogh, two climate activists, aged 20 and 21, were brought before a British court on Saturday. The two women pleaded “not guilty” and dismissed the charge of damaging the world-famous painting “Sunflowers” by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). The judge released the activists on bail until the trial, which was set to begin in December.
During the campaign of environmental group Just Stop Oil, the two activists poured tomato soup on the masterpiece of the Dutch painter in London on Friday. As the National Gallery announced, their action caused “minor damage to the frame.” However, the painting itself remained “undamaged”.
After the image attack, one of the women is now speaking. And the 21-year-old insists she never wanted to damage Van Gogh’s painting. “It was behind glass. We wouldn’t have done that in life if we hadn’t known it was behind glass.” She knows that what she and her colleague did seems absurd. “It’s true. What we’re doing is ridiculous.” But it is necessary to get the attention to ask the right questions.
“There are hundreds of ways to draw attention to climate problems”
The protest group Just Stop Oil is demanding that the British government immediately halt all new oil and gas projects. British Prime Minister Liz Truss (47) recently approved more than 100 new fossil fuel licenses. Overall, it’s a scandal that fossil fuels are much more state-supported than renewables, which are also cheaper.
The well-known Dutch art detective Arthur Brand condemned the action in London. “There are hundreds of ways to draw attention to climate issues. This shouldn’t be one of them.”
The latest action came a week after UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman (42) threatened climate activists, who she accused of using “guerrilla tactics” to cause “chaos and misery”. “You’re crossing a line when you break the law,” Braverman said. “And that’s why we will continue to put them behind bars.”
In recent weeks, climate activists around the world have repeatedly clung to the frames or acrylic glass protection of famous paintings. In August, two activists attached themselves to a work by Lucas Cranach the Elder in the Berlin Picture Gallery and to the world-famous ‘Sistine Madonna’ by Raphael (1483-1520) in Dresden. Similar actions took place in Florence and London, among others. (jmh/AFP)