Climate activists drench Van Gogh's iconic 'Sunflowers' painting with soup

Three Just Stop Oil activists threw tomato soup at two of Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" paintings in London's National Gallery on Friday. The act mirrors a similar incident in 2022 where two protestors were jailed for the same action.

“What is worth more, art or life?” said one of the activists, Phoebe Plummer, 21, from London. She was accompanied by 20-year-old Anna Holland, from Newcastle. “Is it worth more than food? More than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?
“The cost of living crisis is part of the cost of oil crisis, fuel is unaffordable to millions of cold, hungry families. They can’t even afford to heat a tin of soup.”

Three young climate activists stirred a notable reaction in room 43 of the gallery by throwing liquid over a painting, protected by glass, around 11 am. Witnesses expressed shock with one shouting, “Oh my gosh!” The activists next revealed their Just Stop Oil T-shirts and adhered themselves to the wall beneath the artwork, which is a significant piece in the gallery’s collection.

This time, the activists targeted the "Sunflowers" in London and another from the same series on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The National Gallery confirmed that the paintings were not harmed and three people were arrested.

Earlier on Friday, Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, were sentenced for their 2022 protest involving the same London-based artwork.

They had thrown soup on the painting and glued themselves to the wall below it. Prosecutors stated that while the painting, protected by a screen, remained unharmed, the frame sustained damage worth up to 10,000 pounds ($13,385).

Plummer and Holland had pleaded not guilty but were convicted after a trial. Plummer received a two-year prison sentence, and Holland was sentenced to 20 months. Judge Christopher Hehir criticized their actions, saying, "You two simply had no right to do what you did to 'Sunflowers', and your arrogance in thinking otherwise deserves the strongest condemnation."

Plummer defended her actions, claiming she participated fully aware of the potential consequences, including imprisonment. She described herself as a political prisoner. The judge dismissed this notion, responding, "It is offensive to the many people in other parts of the world who are suffering persecution, imprisonment, and sometimes death for their beliefs."

In addition to her two-year sentence, Plummer received an extra three months for interfering with key national infrastructure. The sentencing comes during a broader crackdown on protest movements in Britain and Europe.

Just Stop Oil activists have carried out numerous high-profile protests recently, and in July, five group members received at least four-year sentences for conspiring to block London's M25 motorway.