Climate activist group Just Stop Oil have explained the reason behind their protest after throwing soup over a famous Van Gogh painting.
On Friday, October 14, two people from the group threw cans of tomato soup over the artist's Sunflowers painting at the National Gallery in London.
While a stunned audience looked on, they then proceeded to glue themselves to the wall below the painting, with one of the activists Phoebe Plummer declaring: "What is worth more, art or life?"
It was the latest in a string of recent protests by the coalition group against fossil fuel licencing, with others including sit-down protests in the middle of the road and climbing over a bridge at Dartford Crossing in Kent.
Since the ordeal, which puzzled and enraged many people, 21-year-old Phoebe has explained the reasons behind the protest and what she hoped the outcome would be.
In a video posted to Twitter, she claims that she and 20-year-old Anna Holland did "no damage to the painting whatsoever". The pair appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, October 15, and pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal damage.
She claims there was "minimal damage" to the frame and that the group "never would have considered doing it" if the painting wasn't behind glass.
The activist also claims the soup was reportedly "wiped off with a bit of kitchen roll." She went on to say that Just Stop Oil were aware that the protest was "ridiculous".
Speaking to Free Seed News, Phoebe explained: "We're not asking the question 'Should everybody be throwing soup on paintings?' What we're doing it getting the conversation going, so we can ask the questions that matter.
"Questions like, 'Is it OK that Liz Truss is licencing over a hundred new fossil fuel licences? Is it OK that fossil fuels are subsidied 30x more than renewables, when offshore wind is currently nine times cheaper than fossil fuels?"
"Is it OK that it's there in action, that had led us to the cost of living crisis? Where this winter, people are going to be forced to choose between heating and eating?
"This is the conversation we need to be having now."
She concluded: "We know that civil resistance works. History has shown us that it works.
"I'm stood here today, as a queer woman, and the reason that I'm able to vote, go to university, and hopefully someday marry the person I love, is because of people that have taken part in civil resistance before me."
The video prompted a new discussion on social media.
Wildlife expert and TV presenter Chris Packham said in the response to the video: "Have a listen to this @JustStop_Oil activist . You can disagree with the methods but it would be reckless to disagree with the motives . If we don’t act - we are doomed - and she knows it . And we know it ."
And another user said: "I was wrong about these kids and admit it, they are totally on it and should be listened to."
However, some people were still unsure if the protest was the right way to go, with one saying: "She makes very valid points on the challenges of the environment, but, the media isn't talking about that, it's talking about soup and a painting. The actions have unfortunately distracted attention rather than shine a light on the issues."
The activists both pleaded not guilty to criminal damage to the frame of Van Gogh’s painting in a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning.
Prosecutor Ola Oyedepo said the pair threw the ‘orange substance’ knowing there was a ‘protective case’ over the actual painting, though damage was caused to the frame.
She said it is unclear at this stage what the value of the damage is but said it is ‘significantly below the £5,000 cost threshold’.
The pair ‘did not damage the picture because the picture is worth millions’, she added.
The pair were released on bail on the condition they do not enter galleries or museums and do not have paint or adhesive substances in a public place. A trial has been set for December 13 at City of London Magistrates’ Court.
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