Two activists arrested after Rokeby Venus artwork targeted, as dozens of others held after blocking Whitehall

Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after smashing the glass covering a Diego Velázquez painting at the National Gallery in London, as police detained dozens of others who blocked Whitehall.

Two activists targeted the glass on the Rokeby Venus painting with safety hammers before they were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

The artwork, which was painted by Velázquez in the 1600s, was slashed by the suffragette Mary Richardson in 1914. One of those involved on Monday said: “Women did not get the vote by voting; it is time for deeds not words.”

The Metropolitan police said at least 40 activists who were “slow marching” in Whitehall were also detained and that the road was clear after traffic was stopped for a brief period

  • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    This is non violent, and is in the way, and is coercion? And it’s exactly the kind of thing that King was criticized for doing.

    • NAXLAB@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      No. It’s not getting in the way of fossil fuel production. It’s getting in the way of an art museum and coercing them into calling the cops to get them thrown out, achieving nothing useful in the process.

      You have to disrupt and coerce the fossil fuel producers