Climate Change Activists Strike Again: Famous Velázquez Painting Vandalized in National Gallery
Climate change protesters arrested after vandalizing Diego Velázquez's famous oil painting at London's National Gallery. Group demands halt to fossil fuel exploration in UK, known for previous high-profile protests.
Two climate change protesters were arrested on Monday after they vandalized a famous oil painting by Diego Velázquez at London's National Gallery. The activists from the group Just Stop Oil targeted Velázquez's "The Toilet of Venus," also known as "The Rokeby Venus," with small hammers, causing several holes in the protective glass panel. The group stated that their action was to demand an immediate halt to all licensing for fossil fuel exploration, development, and production in the UK.
💥 SUFFRAGETTE PAINTING SMASHED
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) November 6, 2023
💀 Our government have revealed plans for MORE oil licences, knowing it will kill millions. In response, two supporters of Just Stop Oil smashed the Rokeby Venus — slashed by Mary Richardson in 1914.
⏱ Deeds, not words: https://t.co/3tlBID7nKA pic.twitter.com/Hk0el26QIt
Just Stop Oil, known for their protests targeting famous artworks and public buildings, explained that they specifically chose the 17th-century oil painting because it had been previously damaged during the suffragette movement in 1914. The protesters hammered the glass panel and declared, "Women did not get the vote by voting. It is time for deeds, not words. Politics is failing us. It failed women in 1914 and it is failing us now." The painting has been removed from display at the National Gallery for conservators to examine it. The two activists were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.
The National Gallery reopened the room shortly after, replacing the Velázquez painting with another piece. "The Toilet of Venus" depicts a naked Venus, the goddess of love, reclining on a bed, with her son Cupid holding a mirror up to her face. This is not the first time Just Stop Oil has carried out such protests. Last year, two activists threw tomato soup cans over Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers," also at the National Gallery, to protest fossil fuel extraction. Fortunately, the painting was protected by glass and was not damaged. These activists form part of a global wave of youthful direct-action protest groups.
Just Stop Oil receives support from the US-based Climate Emergency Fund, which was established to back disruptive environmental protests. The group has gained attention through high-profile demonstrations on busy highways, roads, and even sports tournaments. In central London's Whitehall, dozens of other Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested on Monday for slowing marching and obstructing traffic as part of their civil disobedience strategy.