Protesters Hurl Soup at Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in Paris
Two activists vandalize the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris by throwing soup at the bulletproof glass.
Act of Vandalism at the Louvre
Two protesters have hurled soup at the bulletproof glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting, the Mona Lisa, in Paris’s Louvre museum.
The act of vandalism on Sunday, which came as French farmers protested across the country, was the latest in a string of similar attacks against artworks to demand more action to protect the planet.
On Sunday morning, local time, two women flung streams of red and orange soup onto the glass protecting the painting, sparking gasps from bystanders.
Demand for Sustainable Food
"What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?" they asked, standing in front of the painting and speaking in turn.
"Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work," they added, before security staff placed black screens in front of them and evacuated the room.
A group called Riposte Alimentaire, which translates as "Food Counterattack", claimed responsibility for the stunt.
Protests by French Farmers
The action comes amid days of protests from French farmers, who are demanding better pay, taxes, and regulations.
The French government has been trying to keep discontent among the agricultural workers from spreading in the months ahead of European parliament elections, which are seen as a key test for President Emmanuel Macron’s faction.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Sunday scrambled to announce new measures as some farmers threatened to block roads into the capital.
Pattern of Activist Attacks
The action at the museum follows a series of such stunts by climate activists against world-famous paintings to demand more action to phase out fossil fuels and prevent global warming.
In October of 2022, two activists from the Just Stop Oil group grabbed headlines when they splashed tomato soup over the glass protecting Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh’s painting Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London.
The Mona Lisa has been attacked several times before, but her thick glass casing has kept her safe.
