A video of climate change activists desecrating the Mona Lisa with soup at a Paris museum went viral on Sunday.
At around 10 a.m., two female protesters at the Louvre splashed pumpkin soup on a famous artwork painted by Leonardo da Vinci. BBC report.
“What's more important?” one demonstrator asked. “Art or the right to healthy, sustainable food?”
BREAKING NEWS: Climate change activists threw soup at the Louvre's Mona Lisa today. Employees responded by putting up curtains to block visitors.
These climate change terrorists need to be arrested and given long prison sentences. This has to stop. pic.twitter.com/2sRi179Eih
— TikTok Library (@libsoftiktok) January 28, 2024
The paper said that after a black curtain was placed in front of the protesters, museum security personnel evacuated the Sal de Eta where the paintings were on display. Visitors were not allowed to enter the exhibit until it was cleaned.
The group Riposte Alimentaire, which means “Food Counterattack” in English, took credit for the incident. The two women, wearing “Food Strikes Back” T-shirts, threw liquid at the famous painting, the paper said.
“The farming system is sick,” one protester was heard saying. “Our farmers are dying on the job.”
The group said the protest was part of its efforts to “integrate food into the general social security system,” according to the paper. They complained that their “fundamental right to food” was currently not “respected”.
The paper said the Mona Lisa was not damaged in the incident because it was protected by safety glass. The painting has been protected since a visitor poured acid on it in the 1950s.
France's Culture Minister Rashida Dati said targeting the Mona Lisa could be justified by “no cause.” The museum said it would “file a complaint” regarding the incident, the paper said. (Related: Activists launch coordinated attacks on decorated Christmas trees in several major German cities)
This is not the first time the Mona Lisa has been targeted by the Louvre. In May 2022, an activist wearing a wig and in a wheelchair threw a cake at the famous painting.
