Andy Warhol painting defaced by climate change protestors
A protestor with 'incurable cancer' has glued her hand to an Andy Warhol painting at Australia's National Gallery. Bonnie Cassen, a mother-of-three, targeted Warhol's famous Campbell's soup can paintings in Canberra. Other supporters of the Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies group scrawled graffiti on the art. The protest comes a month after two Extinction Rebellion Australia activists glued their hands to a Picasso painting in Victoria. Speaking about Wednesday's protest, Cassen said in a statement: 'Andy Warhol depicted consumerism gone mad in this iconic series. And now we have capitalism gone mad. 'Families are having to choose between medicine and food for their children while fossil fuel companies return record profits. And yet our government gives $22,000 a minute in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. 'We must act urgently to avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown and large-scale extinctions. Is art really more important than human life? 'I am spending my remaining days living with incurable cancer fighting to protect the planet. We only have a limited time. I need people to stand up and join me.' On October 9, two advocates from Extinction Rebellion were arrested after gluing their hands to Picasso's Massacre in Korea, triggering an evacuation at one of Australia's biggest galleries. A 49-year-old woman and a 59-year-old man from Extinction Rebellion Australia (ERA) glued their hands to the glass of a framed painting by Picasso. The pair stood either side of the 1951 piece each with a hand glued to the glass and above a banner reading 'climate chaos = war + famine'. The pair livestreamed their actions as they attached themselves to the painting and began yelling. Retired teacher and granddad-of-five turned Extinction Rebellion Australia (ERA) protester Tony Gleeson was one of the protesters. He said he didn't regret his actions and would gladly pull a similar stunt again. 'The decision wasn't taken lightly,' he told Melbourne radio 3AW host Neil Mitchell. 'It was carefully planned and there were more than two of us involved. There was a lot of security there so we took that into account, we prepared long and hard for this. 'This is pretty serious stuff, we're facing a climate and ecological emergency.' Extinction Rebellion is notorious for its disruptive protests which has seen advocates burn the Australian flag outside parliament house, wheel a mechanical burning koala prop through Melbourne and hang off the side of the Brisbane Story Bridge in a hammock.