this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2023
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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

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[–] kralk@lemm.ee 60 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Drawing a direct line up the suffragettes is genius. History will prove them right

[–] joelthelion@lemmy.world 47 points 10 months ago (6 children)

I don't understand why they keep targeting art. Wouldn't smashing car windows (for example!) make more sense?

[–] topinambour_rex@lemmy.world 60 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Throwing paint on buildings owned owned by oil companies make more sense, but it never reach the news.

[–] BirdyBoogleBop@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They have also targeted luxury car dealerships. People said the exact same things they always say when they do anything.

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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 45 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Art is an investment rich people use to stay wealthy, I think it's symbolic. They're in a ln odd way attacking institutional wealth, which tracks for an organization that calla themselves "Stop Oil."

I don't know that this is their take, but it's my reading on the repeated choice to attack fine art.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 10 months ago

As a poor person who loves art in many mediums, this is a pretty bleak and depressing take. Yes some art is that, but there's a reason people travel from all the world over to see the Sistine Chapel or the Eiffel Tower. There's a reason poor people feeling like their voice isn't heard pick up a pen or a brush, or film, or a spray can, etc.

[–] brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Art isn't only that though and if that's the point it's going to go unnoticed and unrealized by most people rendering any symbolism or point moot. A circlejerk where people pat themselves on the back on the oh-so-deep symbolism and historical callbacks is not going to change anything but the brunches of some pretentious assholes who think they're saving the world when they're actually doing more harm than good.

This is more like protesting the fur industry by releasing the caged, tortured animals into the wild to wreak more havoc as an invasive species to the enviroment and ecosystem they're released into, but at least people can cheers themselves for making a difference.

[–] STRIKINGdebate2@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Because art gets them more publicity. Also if they are going around smashing car windows then they are liable to thousands in fines due to criminal damage, turn the general public against them even more so than they already are and it will likely legitimise tough laws being created against this group.

[–] topinambour_rex@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Because art gets them more publicity.

Out of curiosity, how many news articles about them throwing paints on oil company owned building or luxury cars dealership did you shared ?

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

That would be attacking the public though. Destroying Art is something that is technically accessible to all, but practically only studied and coveted by the wealthy (who have time and financial assets to pursue it)

[–] fubo@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

I'm guessing it's a class/luxury thing. Cars are mostly owned by workers; smashing them puts the cost on those individual workers.

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[–] nautilus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Dudes be like nooo stop trying to hurt the nice paper and go protest somewhere else so we can more easily ignore you

Putting the protection of art above what these people are protesting is both hilarious and also extremely depressing

[–] brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz 12 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Great job comprehending what you're reading.

It's a million times more depressing that the majority of environmentalist-minded people apparently see these publicity stunts as positive.

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 10 months ago (3 children)

The arts are like one of the first things to go if shit will start to go down due to climate change

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

There is this specific absolutely beautiful instrument at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. It was made out of trash by people in abject poverty. The arts might change, but it's pretty damn hard to extinguish that creative spark people have.

[–] brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz 1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Yeah, because art clearly hasn't existed when there's strife, crises or people are poor or suffering :D

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[–] ShitOnABrick@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

Said "paper" has a shit ton of historical significance. art can define our culture alter our history and change our perception on things. Art like comedy or forms of media is also subjective what you may find rubbish another person may enjoy. And in my upmost opinion this isn't protesting this is vandalism. I think it's important that we must not forget history so we can learn from it and not repeat the mistakes of the past. and a large part of not forgetting history is restoring and maintaining pieces of art such as this......... not vandalising it for a vague and nonsensical environmental message people like this and also people like you muddy the water for true discussion and debate on the environment and other topics relating to it

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[–] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Why do they hate oil paintings so much?

[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 27 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Just a misunderstanding. This group is Just Stop Oil (paintings). They hate the medium.

The other group is Just Stop Oil: the anti-oil, coal, and natural gas group.

Same name, so it's easy to get them confused.

[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Similar to the movement that's prominent in small Scottish fishing villages - Just Stop Watercolour

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I find it funny that oil activists funny just go find a random piece of oil pipeline in the middle of nowhere to sabotage. Seriously, the things stretch for hundreds of miles, there can't be a shortage of isolated segments behind no more than a chain link fence at most.

[–] nikscha@feddit.de 26 points 10 months ago (2 children)

There's actually a pretty good reason why they don't do that. Media attention. Most acts of activism are ignored. Only extreme things make it into the media (sadly). Anything short of blowing up the pipeline won't get them media attention. How do I know that? "Letzte Generation", a German activist group did shut down a pipeline, but nobody bothered to report about it.

[–] jarfil@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Wait... was Nord Stream an activist job?

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[–] brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz 2 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Only extreme things make it into the media (sadly). Anything short of blowing up the pipeline won’t get them media attention.

I'm really not arguing against the obvious futility of fighting against these giants, but I mean, we're here literally talking about people vandalizing paintings which honestly has absolutely fucking nothing to do with the oil industry and it's hailed as some big statement. It's a sad reality we live in, but things like this aren't making anything better.

[–] faceula@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, we should probably do nothing. We're not even talking about it right now.

[–] brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Because wiping your ass on the entire movement is so much better than actually, really doing something! Have fun feeling high and mighty without doing anything useful.

Have fun beating that strawman...

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[–] alekwithak@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oil leak caused by activists is great PR.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Sort of a joke, given how many oil leaks our infrastructure is already riddled with.

Doing a little light domestic terrorism would be a drop in the bucket beside the enormous amount of waste polluting our groundwater and riverways. But new media would fixate on it as the de facto reason why oil spills exist, for the next twenty years.

[–] theKalash@feddit.ch 9 points 10 months ago

But that isn't just a little vandalism, that carries some serious criminal charges.

[–] art@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

"Why would activists pull a stunt that would bring attention to their concerns from the main stream media?"

~ Lemmy Users, Probably

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[–] AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

I love how civilization is irrevocably fucked by its own hand and there are still peasants at the ready to scold the desperate still clinging to hope somehow for defacing the apple cart in its race to oblivion.

"Herp derp we just need to keep doing what we're supposed to do and everything will be fine!"

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[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

So switch to acryllic paintings? :) Who knew art supply fans were so dogmatic.

[–] NAXLAB@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's crazy that they have the right idea about direct action and yet are using it on the worst possible targets.

Disrupting an art museum will not stop pollution or inconvenience the fossil fuel industry.

Take advice from MLK: Be nonviolent, but get in the way. Use methods of coercion.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This is non violent, and is in the way, and is coercion? And it's exactly the kind of thing that King was criticized for doing.

[–] NAXLAB@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

No. It's not getting in the way of fossil fuel production. It's getting in the way of an art museum and coercing them into calling the cops to get them thrown out, achieving nothing useful in the process.

You have to disrupt and coerce the fossil fuel producers

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What the hell is a "safety hammer"?

[–] Sheldybear@lemmy.world 17 points 10 months ago

A hammer designed to smash glass - it's a 'safety hammer' because they are kept in cars to smash windows in emergencies where people are stuck.

[–] merthyr1831@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago
[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 1 points 10 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


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 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.

A female protester lying cuffed on the base of the war memorial told PA Media: “They arrested us in the road and we were dragged to the pavement and then back over here.”

The prelude to the arrests on Whitehall was witnessed by the Tory peer David Frost, who tweeted: “The @metpoliceuk are accompanying a Just Stop Oil demo down the street.

The government has revealed plans to mandate annual oil and gas licensing in the North Sea in an attempt to reduce dependency on “hostile foreign regimes”.


The original article contains 338 words, the summary contains 172 words. Saved 49%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

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