Just Stop Oil Protesters Smashes Glass on a Painting

Arissa Chen '27

Just Stop Oil protesters smashed the protective glass for the painting “The Toilet of Venus.” Two activists smashed the painting with small hammers and were arrested for suspicion of criminal damage.

The activists wore white shirts with skulls that read, “Just Stop Oil.” There were around fifty activists who blocked the Whitehall road in London that were also arrested.

Just Stop Oil’s goal was to match the House of Parliament to protest the government's desire to extract oil from the North Sea and stop depending on other countries. However, around forty activists were arrested in 15 minutes.

This isn’t their first time destroying precious paintings. On October 14, 2022, they threw soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

On July 5, 2022, they glued themselves to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” and many more. They have adapted certain daring tactics at major sporting events and performances to get their message across.