Climate activists attack two van Goghs in London after learning of two colleagues’ prison sentences

Three climate activists from the Just Stop Oil collective They threw soup on two Van Gogh paintings at the National Gallery in London, just hours after two of his colleagues were sentenced to prison terms precisely for the same events in 2022.

The action was carried out this Friday afternoon and amplified on social networks through a video recorded by another individual and broadcast by the Just Stop Oil platform itself on its X account:

The works vandalized with canned tomato soup are two paintings from the series sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh. One of them is owned by the National Gallery, while the other is on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the temporary exhibition which celebrates the bicentenary of the London museum.

The National Gallery announced that three people had been arrested and that the paintings are intact. As on other occasions, the canvases chosen for the protest action are protected by glass, which reveals the intention of the activists not to damage the works of art. However, frames tend to get damaged.

The act happened just hours after Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, were killed. sentenced for throwing cans of tomato soup at a Londoner in October 2022, before sticking himself to the wall under the painting.

Prosecutors said the soup caused Frame damage worth up to £10,000 ($13,385) in 2022, although the painting, which was behind a protective screen, was unharmed and was put back on display later that day.

Plummer and Holland pleaded not guilty, but were found guilty following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, London, where Plummer was sentenced to two years in prison for criminal damage. Holland was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

News in update

We are working to expand this information. Soon, the EL ESPAÑOL editorial team will offer you an update of all the data on this news.

To receive the latest news on your mobile phone, you can download our newspaper application for iOS and Android devices, as well as subscribe to access all exclusive content, receive our Newsletters and take advantage of the Ñ Zone, reserved for subscribers.