Just Stop Oil Supporters Arrested After Throwing Tomato Soup Over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

Just Stop Oil activists have thrown tomato soup over Vincent Van Gogh's masterpiece 'Sunflowers' at the National Gallery in London this morning (Friday).

Two protesters walked into a room at the gallery in Trafalgar Square at about 11am, the campaign group said.

They threw the contents of two tins of Heinz tomato soup over the famous 1888 painting, which has an estimated value of more than £72m.

A video shows the two women gluing one hand each to the wall below the painting.

Just Oil (c)

The artwork is protected by glass, although the frame was damaged by the incident.

Protester Phoebe Plummer, 21, then shouted:

"What is worth more? Art or life? "Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice?"

Fellow protester, Anna Holland, 20, said:

“This is the future we choose for ourselves if we push for new oil and gas.”

It's the 14th day of demonstrations linked to the group — which it says intends to halt government plans for new oil and gas licenses.

Just Oil (c)

Just Oil activists have been blocking roads around parliament and elsewhere in London over the past few days.

Last Sunday, police said that more than 100 people had been arrested after a weekend of protest-related activity by environmental groups in the capital.

The National Gallery protesters have been arrested for criminal damage and aggravated trespass, with the Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account issuing an update:

Officers were rapidly on scene at the National Gallery this morning after two Just Stop Oil protesters threw a substance over a painting and then glued themselves to a wall. Both have been arrested for criminal damage & aggravated trespass. Officers are now de-bonding them.

— Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) October 14, 2022

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said:

"This is not a one day event, this is an act of resistance against a criminal government and their genocidal death project.

"Our supporters will be returning — today, tomorrow, the next day and the next day after that — and EVERY day until our demand is met (for) no new oil and gas in the UK.

"We will not be intimidated by changes to the law (and) we will not be stopped by private injunctions sought to silence peaceful people."