The activists who poured soup on the famous painting by Vincent Van Gogh are accused of damage for an amount of less than 5,000 pounds. Their trial will take place in mid-December.
Article written by
Published
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
Three environmental activists from the Just Stop Oil movement, including the two who threw tomato soup on Van Gogh’s masterpiece on Friday October 14 The sunflowers at the National Gallery appeared in court in London (UK) on Saturday.
Anna Holland, a 20-year-old from Newcastle, and Phoebe Plummer, 21, from the south of the capital, are accused of damage for an amount of less than 5,000 pounds, the painting having not been damaged because protected through a window. They pleaded not guilty.
Activists with @JustStop_Oil have thrown tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the national Gallery and glued themselves to the wall. pic.twitter.com/M8YP1LPTOU
— Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) October 14, 2022
The judge released them on the condition that they do not enter any museum or gallery, and no longer use paint or adhesive substances in public spaces. Their trial is set for December 13.
The third activist, Lora Johnson, 38 and from Suffolk, is accused of causing damage by covering a rotating sign outside Scotland Yard headquarters in London on Friday. She also pleaded not guilty, was released and her trial is set for November 23.
Friday, during a spectacular action, they had thrown tomato soup on the famous painting of the Dutch painter, before sticking to the wall. Only the frame had been slightly damaged and the canvas had quickly found its place in the museum.
This stunt is part of a series of actions launched since the beginning of October by the Just Stop Oil movement which calls for the cessation of hydrocarbon exploitation in the United Kingdom, which the government of Liz Truss has decided to accelerate in the midst of the global energy crisis.