Just Stop Oil activists have once again vandalized Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings, including one previously vandalized by the same group. Just Stop Oil is a United Kingdom-based activist group that aims to end the British government’s permittance of new oil and gas projects.
Activists threw tomato soup at Van Gogh’s works in response to a United Kingdom court handing down a sentence to two Just Stop Oil activists for committing the same act of throwing tomato soup at a Van Gogh work two years ago. The two activists who committed the same act nearly two years ago were given three years and eight months, collectively.
Although the frames sustained damage worth over $13,000, the works of Van Gogh are preserved. “Sunflowers” (1888), which was targeted in the original instance, has an estimated value of $94.7 million. It is important to note that art has had a long history of being at the epicenter of change and discussion. Mary “Slasher Mary” Richardson slashed a famous painting of a nude woman at the National Gallery in London as a protest for the suffragette movement.
It’s clear the defendants participated in nonviolent activism against fossil fuel consumption. Western states like the U.S. and U.K. sing the praises of nonviolent movements and leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi but sing a different tune when it comes to climate change activism.
Protests like these don’t hold a candle to actual, disruptive protests such as bringing highway traffic to a halt. Climate change protesters like Just Stop Oil will very likely continue their bold acts, despite the threat of years in jail, and cause greater disruption if their demands are not met.
There is a direct correlation between fossil fuel consumption and climate change. Climate change is bringing trauma and violence to people’s lives, not throwing tomato soup onto artwork with protective glass.
As Florida endures back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton, climate change has fueled these extreme weather events and they are predicted to become more common in the future. Before Helene and Milton, Hurricane Ian exacerbated the private insurance crisis. Helene and Milton will likely have similar effects as costs rise and insurers pull out of the state. Insurance premiums rose on average 31% from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, six of Florida’s largest providers rejected 50% of all claims.
More actions need to be taken by governments in order to find solutions to climate change. The economic fallout of extreme weather events fueled by carbon emissions will be sustained by the average person while fossil fuel profits are enjoyed by the elite few.
Every day people, like many living in Florida, will have to face the realities of climate change and question whether to rebuild or move. Most Floridians believe in climate change—90% in comparison to 72% of all Americans—but it is up to our governments and the people to decide whether they’re willing to trade temporary economic output for our future.
