Just Stop Oil Destroy Painting

Three climate change activists throw soup on Sunflowers painting

On the 27th of September 2024, three Just Stop Oil protestors were jailed after throwing soup on a Van Gogh painting at the National Gallery in London. These are one of many acts to support climate change.

According to Just Stop Oil, they are ‘A coalition of groups working together to ensure that the government commits to ending all new licenses and consents for exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK.’

Just hours after the sentencing of Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland who took part in a similar protest in 2022, three climate activists threw tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

credit to ArtReview

One of the protestors stated, “There are people in prison demanding an end to new oil and gas, something which is now government policy after sustained, disruptive actions, countless headlines, and the resulting political pressure. Future generations will regard these prisoners with a conscience to be on the right side of history.”

Just Stop Oil was founded in 2022 by Roger Hallam.

Hallam himself was recently found guilty in July 2024 due to his involvement in the M25 traffic disruption in November 2022.

Speaking to Environmental Officer at Birmingham City University, Mark Hopkins, he said “A lot of us acknowledge that there are a select few massive companies that are causing the issues we're facing today around global warming. I don't think that Just Stop Oil protesters and members of that group are evil. I think their intentions are positive and that's clear to see.”

credit to BBC

He continued, “But at the same time, I also understand why their actions can evoke negative emotions. People are going to resent the fact that you've interrupted an experience which they were looking forward to and they spent a lot of money on.

“I don't want to see anyone villainised, especially if their intentions are good. But I also understand why people are upset with the way in which they go about protesting.”

In October 2022, Just Stop Oil hosted a Q&A where they explained, “Art is precious. We share that love deeply. What we want to do is salvage a future where human creativity is still possible. We’re terrifyingly close to losing that, so we have to break the rules. And that means pushing cultural buttons to provoke, challenge, and shock. There’s no other way. 

“This action makes people confront what is a justified response to the threats we now face, what is sacred and what should we do to protect it.”