Climate activists attack the Mona Lisa with soup
Enthusiasts spray soup on Mona Lisa
Two enthusiasts throw soup at the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Leonardo da Vinci's world-famous painting from the 16th century was undamaged. A bulletproof glass panel protects the painting.
Two activists defaced the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and protested for more sustainable food. The incident was recorded on camera. Both women were arrested. The museum administration filed a criminal complaint against him.
KLima activists throw soup at the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre in Paris. In a video on social media, two women can be seen throwing liquid on the glass that protects Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, while raising slogans for sustainable nutrition. You also pass a security barrier to approach the painting.
“What's the most important thing?” The women in the recording scream. “Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?” The farming system is sick. French peasants died on the job. Louvre staff then placed black plaques in front of the painting and asked visitors to leave the room. The name of their movement “Riposte alimentaire” was written on the women's white T-shirts.
Two people were arrested after the incident and the Louvre announced criminal charges against them, police said. The hall was cleaned and sanitized immediately and opened for visitors an hour later. According to the museum, the enthusiasts hid the soup for coffee in a thermos cup – small amounts of food are allowed in the Louvre, but they cannot be consumed in the exhibition halls.
The group said on its website that the French government is not living up to its commitments on climate protection. He called for people to be given better access to healthy food while ensuring a decent income for farmers. Farmers in France are currently protesting against rising costs and low incomes.
French Government: Nothing can justify an attack
Culture Minister Rashida Dati and government spokeswoman Prisca Thévenot did not understand the campaign. As a cultural heritage, the Mona Lisa belongs to “future generations,” explained Dati on the online service X. Nothing can justify an attack on works of art. “I don't know that the Mona Lisa is the biggest polluter of France,” Thévenot told TV channel France 3. “What's the point?”
The world's most famous painting, which has been on display behind protective glass since 2005, has already been vandalized several times. In May 2022 it was thrown a cream cake. In other attempts in October 2022, soup was thrown over Vincent van Gogh's “Sunflower” at London's National Gallery, and a little later activists stuck themselves to Goya paintings at the Prado Museum in Madrid.
. “Amateur alcohol specialist. Reader. Hardcore introvert. Freelance explorer.”