In London, eco-activists smashed protective glass on a Diego Velázquez painting

  1. Home
  2. Overseas
  3. In London, eco-activists smashed protective glass on a Diego Velázquez painting
Shattered safety glass on Diego Velazquez painting: eco-activists detained in London
Photo: The Guardian
20:25, 06.11.2023

At the National Gallery in London, Just Stop Oil activists broke the protective glass panes of Diego Velazquez's painting Venus with a Mirror. They were arrested.



This is reported by The Guardian.

Theactivists were protesting against the introduction of new oil licences.

Our government announced plans to get more oil licences, knowing it would kill millions. "In response, two Just Stop Oil supporters smashed Mary Richardson's Venus with a Mirror, which was smashed in 1914," the activists wrote on social media.

Diego Velazquez'spainting "Venus with a Mirror" was created in the 1600s. In March 1914, it was shredded by suffragette Mary Richardson, thus advocating for women's rights.

Police said they detained at least 40 activists, most of them blocking the road. Some of the activists lay down on the road and some lined the pavements along Whitehall.

It should be noted that earlier Just Stop Oil activists, protesting against the granting of oil and gas licences, poured soup over Van Gogh's painting Sunflowers.

Support us on Patreon
Like our content? Become our patron
Evgenia Ruban

Eugenia Ruban writes about political and economic news. She looks at large-scale phenomena in Ukrainian politics and economics from the perspective of how they will affect ordinary Ukrainians.