Just an hour after two others were jailed for similar protests in 2022, climate change activists threw tomato soup at two paintings of Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers.
At 2:30 pm on Friday, the three Just Stop Oil supporters entered the National Gallery in London, where Van Gogh's collection is on display, and visited Heinz in “Sunflowers 1889'' and “Sunflowers 1888.'' threw the soup.
The latter was the same one targeted by Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland in 2022. They are among 25 Just Stop Oil supporters currently in prison for their climate protests.
“Future generations will think that these prisoners of conscience are on the right side of history,” Phil Green, one of those who took part in Friday's action, told gallery visitors.
Fellow participant Rudy Simpson, 71, said: “We will be held accountable for our actions today and face the full force of the law. When will politicians be held accountable for the criminal harm they inflict on all living things?”
The protest took place almost an hour after Plummer, 23, was sentenced to two years in prison for causing an estimated £10,000 worth of damage to the frame of the 1888 Sunflower. Her co-defendant, Anna Holland, 22, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for the same crime.
Sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, Judge Christopher Hehir told them: “Neither of you had any right to do what you did to Himawari and your arrogance to think otherwise deserves the strongest condemnation.
“The two of you came close to irreparably harming and even destroying this priceless treasure, and I hope my sentence reflects that.”
The defendants hugged and blew kisses as they made their way from the docks to the general public seating area before being escorted to their cells.
In October 2022, Plummer and Holland went to Room 43 of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and threw two soup cans at the 1888 painting, one of Van Gogh's most famous works, and the wall below it. It stuck.
In July, they were found guilty of criminal damage by a jury after three hours of deliberation. Judge Hehir told them at the time to “be prepared to go to prison, both practically and emotionally”.
Plummer was also sentenced to three months in prison for obstructing national infrastructure by taking part in a slow march along Earl's Court Road in west London in November 2023. Co-defendants in the case, Chiara Salti and Daniel Hall, received suspended sentences and community work orders.
Plummer gave a 20-minute speech to the judge on mitigation, citing Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, and others as examples of people who were criminalized while fighting for justice. Mentioned Nelson Mandela.
“On October 14, 2022 and November 2023, I made choices to take actions that I knew were likely to result in arrest and prosecution,” she said. “I made this choice because nonviolent civil resistance is the only way to bring about the rapid changes needed to save lives from the accelerating climate emergency and the political decisions being made. It adds fuel to the fire and condemns us all to a doomed future.
“Of course, there are reasons why my life and the lives of the people I love and care for would be easier if I didn't receive a prison sentence today, but I won't go into detail about them, but my choice today is… I accept prison.''I will face any sentence with a smile. Because I know that I find peace in doing what I can to save countless innocent people from suffering and dying. ”
She added: “I have chosen to peacefully destroy an unjust, dishonest and murderous system as usual.”
In handing down his sentence, Mr Hehir said he considered not only the actual damage caused to the frame, but also the possibility of further damage to the painting if the soup seeped through the glass that covered it. .
Hehir told them: “Section 63 of the Sentencing Act requires that when assessing the seriousness of your crime you take into account not only the damage your crime has caused, but also the foreseeable damage it caused.For the reasons I have explained above. The foreseeable harm caused by this is incalculable. Your crimes are so serious that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
Mr Hehir said gallery staff quickly removed the painting and inspected it, ensuring there was no serious damage.
