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Just Stop Oil protesters smash glass on painting at UK National Gallery

www.theguardian.com Just Stop Oil protesters smash glass on painting at National Gallery

Two activists arrested after Rokeby Venus artwork targeted, as dozens of others held after blocking Whitehall

Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after smashing the glass covering a Diego Velázquez painting at the National Gallery in London, as police detained dozens of others who blocked Whitehall.

Two activists targeted the glass on the Rokeby Venus painting with safety hammers before they were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

The artwork, which was painted by Velázquez in the 1600s, was slashed by the suffragette Mary Richardson in 1914. One of those involved on Monday said: “Women did not get the vote by voting; it is time for deeds not words.”

The Metropolitan police said at least 40 activists who were “slow marching” in Whitehall were also detained and that the road was clear after traffic was stopped for a brief period.

World News @lemmy.world Striker @lemmy.world 1 yr. ago

Just Stop Oil smash glass on paintings at the National Gallery

www.theguardian.com /uk-news/2023/nov/06/just-stop-oil-protesters-smash-glass-painting-national-gallery

56 comments

How about we start disrupting oil HQs and distribution centers? I feel like clogging supply chains will get more attention than destroying art.
- How about we start disrupting oil HQs and distribution centers?
  
  It's a bit late to start it:
  
  Just Stop Oil protests: Terminal operations suspended and arrests made
  
  And - although I have not been involved with JSO, I was locking on to fuel stations a couple of decades ago, with Greenpeace.
  
  So far that hasn't done the trick though.
  
  It just seems the art approach makes them look bad. Maybe its time to take a jackhammer to major freeways instead. Dunno if thats better but at least its not completely out of the blue like damaging art.
- Just Stop Oil does that too, but that's not getting media attention. Hence this.
  
  Yeah theres a whole chain down here that explains the history. Sad to say the least.
These are essentially publicity stunts, right? They don't think destroying art will decrease carbon emissions somehow?
- Permanently Deleted
  
  Best comment so far. Very well said.
  
  I don't necessarily agree that that is what's displayed here. People care about the environment they do but that's not the same as saying we don't want people slashing paintings for no reason we can have both.
  
  It's a completely ridiculous statement to suggest that you can only have one or the other and that in order to save the planet we have to destroy artwork.
  
  But the planet contains paintings. Seems more like it shows humans are very bad at long term thinking.
  
  No people just realize these people are morons. It has nothing to do with the destruction of the planet.
- It is very clearly about publicity. You can't get any message across unless you get someone's attention in the first place.
  
  In this case, they are playing on the link back to the suffragettes.
  
  Seems to me like they're getting a net negative message across since they're seen more as nuts. But I hope someone there has done the sociology analysis to see if it's actually a net positive or negative impact on their cause.
- As far as I can tell they don't have a cohesive goal. In theory yeah they are publicity stunts, but so what? No one really disagrees with them. Most members of the public do agree that climate change is a problem, the issue is corporations and governments.
  
  That’s unfair. Our well paid leaders don’t have a cohesive plan. Let’s hold them to that standard and not the protesters who are actually worried about the future.
- No art was harmed in the making of this
  
  Depends on the art. I think some, especially the very old ones, can deteriorate just by getting exposed to the air.
  
  There's always a risk, art is very delicate.
- Correct
- Permanently Deleted
  
  We need to be nuisances or else we will be ignored. Being disruptive is the best tool we have to pressure the government and the rich into helping to fight climate change.
  
  likely to turn people on the fence away from their cause
  
  I hear this a lot, but what does it practically mean? As in, how will fence-sitters act differently in a way that will harm the world more? Genuine question.
I dont understand these people. If you have a problem you dont solve it by wrecking art. You have to go straight to the politicians. Stage a protest in front of the capital or something. You have to be more agressive and direct.
I completely agree that oil needs to be stopped and that it is destroying our planet.

That being said I hate what these idiots are doing so unbelievably much. Absolutely nothing warrants the destruction of art or even the attempt. Hell, I don't even like the fact that the Confederate statues are being destroyed. Move them to museums where they can serve as examples of our past and the mistakes we made as a society.

This is a dumb protest by dumb people that leads only to their words being ignored because the actions they are committing are dumb.
- Art is such a stupid unimportant topic when it compairs to the actual destruction of the Earth.
  
  The Earth is an infinitely more beautiful and more important price of art. I don't think there's much that isn't worth destroying to save it (though we shouldn't have to).
  
  Creating outrage is historically an important part of effecting change.
- also I think just stop oil is backed by oil companies?
  
  You never know. Maybe its to print a bad picture.
Protest don't work. They don't care. Nobody does.

Death is the only option.

Full on riots and strike action. Everyone stops. Ceos are removed by force.

This is war. Sitting doing nothing as the world burns

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