Share
News

Climate Activists Smash Protective Glass Panel of Historic Painting in London National Gallery

Share

Two climate change protesters were arrested Monday after they smashed a protective glass panel covering a famous Diego Velázquez oil painting at London’s National Gallery, police said Monday.

The two activists from the group Just Stop Oil targeted Velázquez’s “The Toilet of Venus,” also known as “The Rokeby Venus,” with small hammers.

Photos showed the protective glass panel punctured with several holes.

Just Stop Oil, which has led similar protests targeting famous artworks and public buildings, said Monday’s action was to demand Britain’s government immediately halt all licensing for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the U.K.

The group said Monday that the two activists chose to target Velázquez’s 17th-century oil painting, one of the Spanish artist’s most celebrated masterpieces, because it was previously slashed as part of the suffragette movement calling for women’s rights in 1914.

Just Stop Oil said the protesters hammered the glass panel, then told people at the gallery: “Women did not get the vote by voting. It is time for deeds, not words.”

“Politics is failing us. It failed women in 1914 and it is failing us now,” they added.

Police said the two were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

The National Gallery said the painting has been removed from display so conservators can examine it.

“The pair appeared to strike ‘The Toilet of Venus’ (‘The Rokeby Venus’) by Velázquez with what appeared to be emergency rescue hammers. The room was cleared of visitors and police were called,” the museum said in a statement.

The room was reopened shortly afterward with another painting replacing the Velázquez where it was hung, the museum added.

Related:
Officials Confirm They Euthanized Peanut the Rescue Squirrel Because Someone Involved with the Raid to Seize It Was Bitten

“The Toilet of Venus” depicts a naked Venus, the goddess of love, reclining on a bed with her back facing the viewer, as her son Cupid holds a mirror up to her face.

The painting was targeted in 1914 by the suffragette Mary Richardson to protest the imprisonment of fellow women’s rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst. The painting suffered several slashes at the time but was subsequently repaired.

Police said officers also arrested dozens of other Just Stop Oil protesters on Monday who were “slow marching” and obstructing traffic in central London’s Whitehall as part of their civil disobedience strategy.

If you could click a button to listen to a Western Journal article, would you use it?

Last year, two activists threw two cans of tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” also at the National Gallery, to protest fossil fuel extraction. They did not damage the painting, which was covered with glass.

Part of a wave of destructive and dangerous “direct action” demonstrations around the world, Just Stop Oil is backed by the U.S.-based Climate Emergency Fund.

Just Stop Oil activists have staged multiple high-profile protests at the busiest highways and roads as well as sports tournaments.

In July, British authorities expanded police power allowing them to target activists who stop traffic and to move static protests.

The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation