It could have been a normal Friday at the National Gallery in London. But no. In the middle of the afternoon of October 14, two activists from the Just Stop Oil association threw a can of tomato soup on the protective glass of the famous painting. The sunflowers of the painter Van Gogh. After the action, the reactions were quick to be heard on social networks. There are those who applaud the courage of young environmentalists and those who denounce an offense to art and culture.
And then… there are other Internet users who are trying to investigate the origin of the Just Stop Oil association – often presented as the little sister of Extinction Rebellion activists. According to an Internet user, the young ecologists have close ties with shareholders who are far removed from environmental issues. “Their ‘association’ is largely funded and run by palm oil shareholder organizations. They are actors aiming to discredit ecological activists, ”denounces the Twittos. His post has since been liked nearly 8,000 times and has almost 2,000 retweets. Is he right to say this? 20 minutes also conducted its own little investigation.
FAKE OFF
How could the environmental association be affiliated with palm oil-hungry shareholders? In reality, it seems at first that there is a translation error and that we rather speak here of “Oil” to describe oil, and not oil. On October 14, the information was notably published by the American media FoxNews with the following headline: “Big Oil heiress funds Just Stop Oil group that threw soup on Van Gogh’s painting”. According to the conservative media, the founder of the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) – which finances the association – would be the granddaughter of J.Paul Getty. Known as one of the richest Americans in the world in the 1960s, he made his fortune by founding Getty Oil, an American oil company.
In the United States, the Getty family can be considered one of the most infamous siblings. For example, we already know the story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. In 1973, the tycoon’s grandson was kidnapped in Rome and J.Paul Getty – known for his avarice – refused to pay his ransom. His captors will cut off his ear, and after his release, John Paul III will experience many traumas related to the kidnapping. His alcoholism and drug addiction will make him quadriplegic and he will die in 2011, at the age of 54.
Heiress, but not directly related
But back to his sister, Aileen Getty. Contrary to accusations pointing to her connection to the oil industry, it could well be that Aileen Getty is only an heir to the fortune left by her ancestors. The granddaughter of the oil tycoon has, during her life, preferred philanthropy. In 2012, she notably created the Aileen Getty Foundation which “supports organizations and individuals around the world who are committed to responding to the climate emergency and to treating our planet and its inhabitants with kindness and respect”, explains his site.
In 2019, with American investor Trevor Neilson and Rory Kennedy [fille de l’ancien sénateur Robert Kennedy]Aileen Getty creates the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF). This fund is used to support “individual activists and organizations working to raise awareness of the threat of climate change” through nonviolent action. Since its creation, the fund has supported nearly 90 organizations, including the Just Stop Oil association.
Mostly private donations
Last February, this coalition of different groups organized several actions with the aim of asking the British government to immediately stop new projects related to fossil fuels. They have since carried out several punching actions, such as at the National Gallery this Friday. “The action comes after two weeks of continued civil resistance by supporters of Just Stop Oil. It is a response to government inaction in the face of both the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis,” writes the association in a press release.
Contacted by 20 minutes, the association explains: “Most of our funding comes from private donations and we have also received grants from CEF (Climate Emergency Fund)”. On its website, the association also explains that this fund is its main donor “for recruitment, training and capacity building”. Thus, the Internet user’s investigation which demonstrates a possible link between the environmental association and the oil industry seems above all to be based on a huge shortcut. Aileen Getty has created a foundation that helps the Just Stop Oil association, but nothing says that they are involved with any shareholders in the community.
Aileen Getty is not the only heir to the oil industry to have decided to invest in the climate cause. In 2020, the Equation campaign [visant à soutenir la transition vers les énergies renouvelables] had received the promise of donations of 30 million dollars over ten years from Peter Gill Case and Rebecca Rockefeller Lambert, two heirs to the fortune of the Rockefeller family… also linked to oil. Nearby New York TimesPeter Gill Case had defended himself by explaining a certain “moral obligation” towards the environmental cause.