Two climate activists (20,22) from the group Just Stop Oil have been accused of breaking the safety glass of a painting in a London museum. Police in the British capital said on Wednesday that he has been charged with criminal damage.
On Monday, the two used emergency hammers to break a window protecting Diego Velázquez’s painting “Venus in Front of the Mirror” at the National Gallery. They wanted to protest against the British government’s new oil and gas projects in the North Sea. According to police, the painting has suffered “minimal damage” and is being restored. The painting, also known as “Rokeby-Venus”, was removed to inspect for possible damage and was temporarily replaced with another work.
Exactly a year ago, two climate activists threw tomato soup over the protective window of Vincent van Gogh’s famous “Sunflower” painting in the National Gallery.
42 other members of Just Stop Oil were charged with obstructing traffic. They deliberately walked slowly through Whitehall’s government district on Monday, blocking traffic. On Wednesday, dozens of Just Stop Oil protesters protested on London’s Waterloo Bridge and blocked traffic. According to police, an ambulance was also stopped in the action. Many arrests were made. Just Stop Oil denied the allegations. This side of the road was impassable due to the arrival of police forces.
