Climate activists throw soup at Mona Lisa
Two climate change activists have hurled soup at the bullet-proof glass protecting Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting, the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
On Sunday morning, local time, a video posted on social media showed two women throwing red and orange soup onto the glass protecting the painting to the shock of bystanders.
The incident came amid days of protests by French farmers across the country demanding better pay, taxes, and regulations.
The two women, with the words "FOOD RIPOSTE" or "Food Counterattack" written on their T-shirts, managed to pass under the security barrier and stood in front of the painting, while shouting slogans for a sustainable food system.
“What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?” they asked.
“Your agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying at work,” they added, before the security put black panels in front of the painting, and asked visitors to evacuate the space.
ALERTE - Des militantes pour le climat jettent de la soupe sur le tableau de La Joconde au musée du Louvre. @CLPRESSFR pic.twitter.com/Aa7gavRRc4
— CLPRESS / Agence de presse (@CLPRESSFR) January 28, 2024
On its website, the "Food Riposte" group said that the French government is breaking its climate commitments, and they demanded a state-sponsored health care system to be put in to give people better access to healthy food, while providing farmers with a decent income.
The protests comes after the French government announced a series of measures for agricultural workers on Friday, which they believe do not fully address their demands.
Image: Twitter