Two activists have been charged with criminal damage after spilling tomato soup over an $85 million Van Gogh painting.
The bizarre incident took place at the National Gallery in London, UK, where 20-year-old Anna Holland and 21-year-old Phoebe Plummer staged a ‘Just Stop Oil’ protest by splattering tomato soup over one of the precious Sunflower series works of Dutch artist Van Gogh.
“What is worth more – art or life? Is it worth more than food, worth more than justice, are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and the people?” Plummer declared after she and her comrade glued themselves to the wall beneath the painting.
Both protesters have since been arrested and charged with criminal damage. While appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court over the weekend, the defendants pleaded not guilty to causing damage worth up to $5,500.
While the painting itself was not harmed thanks to its protective casing, the prosecutor argued that the frame was damaged by the tomato soup.
Meanwhile, the defense argued that the “prosecution needs to prove that damage has been caused.”
After the initial court hearing, Judge Tan Irkam allowed both defendants to be released on bail provided they don’t appear in public places with paint or adhesives or enter museums and galleries before their trial in December.
On the same day Plummer and Holland vandalized the Van Gogh painting, another member of the Just Stop Oil group sprayed paint over the New Scotland Yard sign in London.
38-year-old Lora Johnson pleaded not guilty to causing criminal damage after she was filmed vandalizing the sign and giving a speech about oil use.
While being carried away by the police, the mother also gave an interview in which she insisted she was demonstrating for the future of her kids.
Similarly to Plummer and Holland, Johnson, too, was released on bail by Judge Irkam.
“The court will not prevent you from lawfully protesting,” the judge declared while telling Johnson she was not allowed to appear in public with paints or adhesive materials pending trial.
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