Climate change protesters splatter tomato soup on van Gogh painting in London
One of Vincent van Gogh's famous paintings has been cleaned after climate protesters threw soup on the estimated NZ$148 million artwork. Footage shows two people wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts opening cans of Heinz tomato soup and spattering it on van Gogh's Sunflowers (1888) before gluing themselves to the wall. "What is worth more? Art or life? Is it worth more than food? Worth more than justice? Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?" the protesters said after the incident. On Twitter, th e UK climate change group Just Stop Oil tweeted a photo of the incident, writing "the cost of living crisis and climate crisis is driven by oil and gas". UK police said the protesters had been arrested for criminal damage and aggravated trespass. London's National Gallery confirmed the painting is now back on display, about six hours after the soup incident. Fortunately, the painting was covered by glass and therefore not damaged but there is some minor damage to the frame.