“There are people in prison for demanding an end to new oil and gas. Something which is now government policy after sustained, disruptive actions, countless, headlines, and the resulting political pressure.”
Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting was vandalized on Friday with what appeared to be tomato soup. The vandalizing came within hours after two other climate activists with the Just Stop Oil climate activism group were sentenced to prison for at least 20 months. Those activists performed a similar act of vandalism around two years ago.
According to CBS News, the paintings from van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” series that he painted in southern France in the Arles did not take any damage from the tomato soup attack from the climate activists. The paining luckily had a protective glass over the frame.
Three of the activists were seen on video throwing the tomato soup at the artwork. They then revealed shirts that said, “Just stop oil.” One started yelling, “There are people in prison for demanding an end to new oil and gas. Something which is now government policy after sustained, disruptive actions, countless, headlines, and the resulting political pressure.”
The activist said that “future generations” will say that the activists in prison will be on the “right side of history” for vandalizing the paintings.
There were three activists in total that were involved in the more recent Friday incident. They were arrested and taken into custody as the painting was examined for damage. London’s National Gallery said the paintings would be available for viewing later that day. The incident was apparently taken to protest the sentencing of the other activists.
Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, were sent to prison for at least 20 months earlier on Friday. In October 2022, Holland and Plummer threw tomato soup on artwork at London’s National Gallery before they glued their hands to the wall under the painting.
In the sentencing of the two activists, Judge Christopher Hehir commented that the artwork could have been “seriously damaged or even destroyed” by the actions of Holland and Plummer.
“You clearly think your beliefs give you the right to commit crimes when you feel like it,” Hehir told the activists. “You do not.”
