They all pleaded not guilty. three activists ecologists of the Just Stop Oil movement, including the two who threw tomato soup on Friday on Van Gogh’s masterpiece them Sunflowers, at the National Gallery in London, appeared in court this Saturday.
Anna Holland, 20, from Newcastle, and Phoebe Plummer, 21, from the south of the capital, are accused of damage for an amount of less than 5,000 pounds, the painting not having been damaged because protected by glass.
Stop oil in the UK
During their action, they threw tomato soup on the famous painting by the Dutch painter, before sticking to the wall. Only the frame was slightly damaged, and the canvas quickly found its place in the museum.
This stunt is part of a series of actions launched since the beginning of October by the Just Stop Oil movement, which is calling for an end to the exploitation of hydrocarbons au UKwhich the government of Liz Truss has decided to accelerate in the midst of the global energy crisis.
“You will not be prevented from protesting legally”
The judge released them on the condition that they do not enter any museum or gallery, and no longer use paint or adhesive substances in public spaces. Their trial is set for December 13.
The third campaigner, Lora Johnson, 38 and from Suffolk, is accused of causing damage by painting a rotating sign outside Scotland Yard headquarters in London in orange paint on Friday. She was released and her trial is set for November 23.
Other demonstrators stuck to the road and police said they arrested 24 people. “The court will not prevent you from protesting legally,” said the judge during the hearing, while the Minister of the Interior wants to toughen the repression against movements like Just Stop Oil, accusing them of acts of “guerrilla warfare”. “.
Several Just Stop Oil activists have already been sentenced to prison for their protest actions.