Status: 10/24/2022 4:27 p.m
Anti-oil activists have again drawn attention in London: they smeared the face of the wax figure of King Charles III at Madame Tussauds in London. with cakes. A similar action took place in Potsdam on Sunday.
Two environmental activists put pies on the wax figure of King Charles III. thrown at Madame Tussauds in London. Several videos released by the Just Stop Oil protest group show a man and woman standing next to the royal family figures, unveiling their T-shirts with the organization’s name on them, and finally the face of the wax figure with each throw a cake.
One of them shouts: “The science is clear, the demands are simple. Just stop the oil. It’s child’s play” – using the English phrase “piece of cake”. The police reported a total of four arrests after the action.
Tomato Soup on Van Gogh painting
The British government should completely stop issuing new permits for oil and gas production, “Just Stop Oil” demanded on social media. Charles III allegedly recently decided, on the advice of Prime Minister Liz Truss, not to attend or speak at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt. The British monarch is actually considered a staunch environmentalist.
The group “Just Stop Oil” had organized various actions and blockades since the beginning of the month. About a week and a half ago, members poured tomato soup on the famous painting “Sunflowers” by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh at the National Gallery in London. The work was protected by a pane of glass, only the frame was slightly damaged.
Action in the Potsdam Barberini
A similar attack also took place in Germany. Two activists from the group “Last Generation” had thrown mashed potatoes at the Monet painting entitled “Grainstacks” in the Museum Barberini in Potsdam on Sunday and, according to the police, glued themselves next to it. According to the museum, since the picture is glazed, it was not damaged. The suspects are being investigated for property damage and trespassing.
In recent weeks, climate activists around the world have repeatedly glued themselves to the frames or acrylic glass protection of famous paintings, for example in Berlin, Dresden, Florence and London.
“It will soon no longer be possible to enjoy art”
The German Museums Association (DMB) reacted with outrage to the action of the activists in the Barberini. “Immediate enjoyment of art will soon no longer be possible – that’s where it’s going,” said the security expert of the DMB and the Hasso Plattner Foundation, Remigiusz Plath, the dpa news agency. “We are used by climate activists to attract attention – at the expense of cultural assets.”
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann also condemned the attack. Such actions “cannot be justified by any matter, no matter how noble,” Buschmann wrote on Twitter. “Actions that damage someone else’s property are not only stupid, but also criminal.” When they were directed against irreplaceable cultural assets, they were “particularly stunned,” explained the minister.