Climate change protesters spray-painted Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie’s superyacht Sunday while it was docked in Ibiza.
Two members of Spanish activist group Futuro Vegetal unleashed red and black spray paint from fire extinguishers on the yacht Kaos.
The two young men then unfurled a banner that read, “You consume, others suffer.” Crew members on the superyacht tried in vain to wash off the paint with hoses.
“The richest 1% of the world’s population pollutes more than the poorest 50%,” the Futuro Vegetal members said. “They are condemning us to a future of pain, misery and desolation.”
The two protesters were arrested Sunday by Spanish police, but the activists expected them to be released Monday on bail.
“The only reason we continue to maintain an economic system that leads us to eco-social collapse is to sustain the privileges of this small privileged class,” Futuro Vegetal said. “The mega-rich live off the suffering of others.”
Futuro Vegetal activists also spray-painted a private jet at Ibiza’s airport on Friday night. The group captioned that post, “Your luxury, our extinction.”
Walton Laurie, 72, did not issue any statements in response to the protest. Following the death of her father and Walmart co-founder Bud Walton in 1995, Walton Laurie inherited a stake in Walmart that is now worth more than $8 billion. She is considered one of the 300 richest people in the world.
Her superyacht, Kaos, has been highlighted in multiple sailing magazines for its extensive amenities, including a cinema, sauna, swimming pool and even an aquarium on board.
Walton Laurie met her future husband, Bill Laurie, while attending the University of Memphis. They owned the St. Louis Blues from 1999 to 2011.
