Two Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after the glass covering the Rokeby Venus painting at the National Gallery was smashed.
The protest organisation has released a video appearing to show two protesters smashing the glass of the 17th-century painting in the London art museum before turning to address visitors.
“Women did not get the vote by voting; it is time for deeds not words. It is time to Just Stop Oil,” the female protestor said in the video.
A male activist added: “Politics is failing us. Politics failed women in 1914. If millions will die due to new oil and gas licences, millions.
“If we love history, if we love art, and if we love our families we must Just Stop Oil.”
It comes after it emerged that a new law allowing new oil and gas licences to be introduced every year will be unveiled in the King’s Speech on Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Police said two activists had been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
The artwork, which was painted by Diego Velazquez was previously slashed by suffragette Mary Richardson in March 1914.
Just Stop Oil have named the pair as Hanan, 22, and Harrison, 20, adding that they used safety hammers to smash the glass.
A spokesman for the National Gallery said: “At just before 11am this morning (6 November 2023) two people entered Room 30 of the National Gallery.
“The pair appeared to strike The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’) (1647-1651) by Velázquez with what appeared to be emergency rescue hammers. “
They added: “The room was cleared of visitors and police were called. Officers are now on the scene. Two people have been arrested.
“The painting is now being removed from display so it can be examined by Conservators.”
National Gallery targeted before
The incident appears to be the latest in a string of stunts by Just Stop Oil targeting the gallery. Last year, two activists threw tinned tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting.
Another two protestors were ordered to pay compensation to the National Gallery after being found guilty of causing more than £1,000 of damage to John Constable’s the Hay Wain.
The pair had taped printed posters over a dystopian reimagining of the landscape and then glued their hands to the gilt frame.
Meanwhile, Just Stop Oil activists have been slow marching down the road in Whitehall, with Metropolitan Police officers “asking the activists to move off the road”, according to the force on Twitter.
They added that they were making arrests under Section Seven of the Public Order Act.
Responding to the force on Twitter, the protest group said: “Young people are doing this because police are failing to investigate the real criminals.
“Today our government revealed plans for more oil, knowing it will kill millions. Why won’t you tweet about that? When will you investigate the real criminals?”
Images on social media appeared to show protestors lying on the ground around the Cenotaph as the monument was surrounded by police.
By
Genevieve Holl-Allen
> “If we love history, **if we love art**, and if we love our families **we must Just Stop Oil.**”
Clearly you don’t because you keep throwing paint at it / trying to damage it.
The glass looks thick, so hopefully it’s just that that needs replacing.
They’re doing what the suffragettes did, and we know they failed because women can’t vote.
They’ll carry right on until they rile up the public enough to vote No in the Net Zero referendum
If the former should go to prison, so should the latter.
Mindless vandals. Just ordered a barrel of crude to spite them
Dumb.
Every action like this invites the general public to hate the protesters and by association their cause.
why do these people always look like absolute messes
They should just pay for damage. But money should be from transparent source like actual work. If they would be charged market value for fixing it cleaning whatever else then next time they would think about it. Problem in UK is they do what they want and noone pays for their actions.
> Just Stop Oil protesters smash National Gallery painting
Ohhh, just the glass covering.
Classic Telegraph.
The suffragettes who also damaged this painting as an act of protest had no access to the political process.
Why don’t these JSO members stand for parliament? Form a political party? Become a councillor? Start a think tank or a start up to create workable solutions? Even campaign for others that support their aims?
Is it because those things take intelligence and sustained effort…. And just don’t sound as cool in the student Union?
Okay, who’s calling dibs on commenting that JSO is funded by oil companies? I haven’t seen it in this thread yet.
If we did just stop oil today (in the way they want us to)…
1. What would happen to our economy?
2. What would the real world impact be?
Edit: Thanks for the downvote’s. They were genuine questions. I don’t form opinions on stuff like this without understanding the cause better. I guess people don’t actually know?
Well this blows apart the argument that JSO know that the paintings wear protected from damage when they threw soup and didn’t actually want to damage it.
Once you’ve got to smashing the protective glass, you are basically admitting you’d happily damage the art in the name of your cause.
Hope they get decent punishments but they’d obviously just regard themselves are martyrs.
Smashing the glass, and permanently risking the historic (and irreplaceable) artwork is **not** OK.
Defacing the glass with paint as a protest however I am OK with.
Make your point **without** risking something for the rest of time.
“What’s the best way to protest the use of oil? I know make everyone think we are a bunch annoying, stupid, cunts!”
Fossil fuels are not created equally. If JSO are serious about reducing carbon emissions and pollution from them they should change their name to JSC and protest outside coal mines in China. We will need SOME oil for decades at the very least and as we transition away from it (and investing more in alternative technologies) we should be targeting the worst emissions sources.
I refuse to believe that they aren’t a psyop not a single thing they do makes people like them
Why haven’t these scumbags been locked up? I keep recognising the same individuals.
Lol, just shows how stupid this generation of “protestors” are, all this lot has done is turned the public even further away from the message.
That fella is 20? Jeez that’s some heavy paper round he’s had. Honestly had him down as about 40. He also looks out of breath after his exertions too. Eat some proper food mate.
“Yes! They’re damaging their cause while getting hate from all different corners from the public but they’re getting people talking!”
– A fucking idiot
Until they start setting themselves on fire, Burmese monk style, everyone is going to see them as a bunch of privileged kids titting about. The Suffragettes actually put themselves in danger sometimes.
[removed]
Get to the houses of the oil CEOs etc. Until they’re being targeting nothing will change, and whilst I fully support their fight, this does nothing but piss off Joe Public. I do admire their moxy though.
If you’re fuming at this and apathetic/ flippant re . The climate apocalypse, your barefaced insanity will be revealed in just a decade or so. It’s actually becoming more absurdly jarring.
“The Cenotaph plan failed what do we do?”.
“Err.. Paintings! That got us plenty of attention last time!”.
“Didn’t it result in us pretty much getting condemned and mocked by everyone? How about doing something more constructive?”.
“…”
“… Shut up you Tory twonk”.
“So which painting then?”.
The beatings will escalate until people stop using oil
I never understand why Just Stop Oil doesn’t protest in Saudi Arabia or Qatar.
Have they come up with alternatives to the thousands of products that are made from oil yet?
I may not like our government’s continued evil lust for oil, but destroying our human cultural heritage? That’s also extremely bad.
Fuck whoever did this.
Those Just Stop Oil protesters all belong in a looney bin.
Just people looking for an excuse to be worthless little shits. Disgusting 😒
I had some sympathies with this movement so went to one of their protests. They littered (seriously), blew smoke in my toddlers face and then had BLM come over and, I kid you not, tell us how “Britain would be nothing if it wasn’t for black people”.
At which point I thought I had seen enough.
I still don’t think we should licence new oil drilling in the North Sea.
I won’t support Just Stop Oil again.
The National Gallery is free, can’t have poor people enjoying fine art.
35 comments
Two Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after the glass covering the Rokeby Venus painting at the National Gallery was smashed.
The protest organisation has released a video appearing to show two protesters smashing the glass of the 17th-century painting in the London art museum before turning to address visitors.
“Women did not get the vote by voting; it is time for deeds not words. It is time to Just Stop Oil,” the female protestor said in the video.
A male activist added: “Politics is failing us. Politics failed women in 1914. If millions will die due to new oil and gas licences, millions.
“If we love history, if we love art, and if we love our families we must Just Stop Oil.”
It comes after it emerged that a new law allowing new oil and gas licences to be introduced every year will be unveiled in the King’s Speech on Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Police said two activists had been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
The artwork, which was painted by Diego Velazquez was previously slashed by suffragette Mary Richardson in March 1914.
Just Stop Oil have named the pair as Hanan, 22, and Harrison, 20, adding that they used safety hammers to smash the glass.
A spokesman for the National Gallery said: “At just before 11am this morning (6 November 2023) two people entered Room 30 of the National Gallery.
“The pair appeared to strike The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’) (1647-1651) by Velázquez with what appeared to be emergency rescue hammers. “
They added: “The room was cleared of visitors and police were called. Officers are now on the scene. Two people have been arrested.
“The painting is now being removed from display so it can be examined by Conservators.”
National Gallery targeted before
The incident appears to be the latest in a string of stunts by Just Stop Oil targeting the gallery. Last year, two activists threw tinned tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting.
Another two protestors were ordered to pay compensation to the National Gallery after being found guilty of causing more than £1,000 of damage to John Constable’s the Hay Wain.
The pair had taped printed posters over a dystopian reimagining of the landscape and then glued their hands to the gilt frame.
Meanwhile, Just Stop Oil activists have been slow marching down the road in Whitehall, with Metropolitan Police officers “asking the activists to move off the road”, according to the force on Twitter.
They added that they were making arrests under Section Seven of the Public Order Act.
Responding to the force on Twitter, the protest group said: “Young people are doing this because police are failing to investigate the real criminals.
“Today our government revealed plans for more oil, knowing it will kill millions. Why won’t you tweet about that? When will you investigate the real criminals?”
Images on social media appeared to show protestors lying on the ground around the Cenotaph as the monument was surrounded by police.
By
Genevieve Holl-Allen
> “If we love history, **if we love art**, and if we love our families **we must Just Stop Oil.**”
Clearly you don’t because you keep throwing paint at it / trying to damage it.
The glass looks thick, so hopefully it’s just that that needs replacing.
They’re doing what the suffragettes did, and we know they failed because women can’t vote.
They’ll carry right on until they rile up the public enough to vote No in the Net Zero referendum
What’s the bigger act of vandalism:
This?
or [this](https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-to-give-annual-system-of-awarding-new-oil-and-gas-licences-the-green-light-13001126)?
If the former should go to prison, so should the latter.
Mindless vandals. Just ordered a barrel of crude to spite them
Dumb.
Every action like this invites the general public to hate the protesters and by association their cause.
why do these people always look like absolute messes
They should just pay for damage. But money should be from transparent source like actual work. If they would be charged market value for fixing it cleaning whatever else then next time they would think about it. Problem in UK is they do what they want and noone pays for their actions.
> Just Stop Oil protesters smash National Gallery painting
Ohhh, just the glass covering.
Classic Telegraph.
The suffragettes who also damaged this painting as an act of protest had no access to the political process.
Why don’t these JSO members stand for parliament? Form a political party? Become a councillor? Start a think tank or a start up to create workable solutions? Even campaign for others that support their aims?
Is it because those things take intelligence and sustained effort…. And just don’t sound as cool in the student Union?
Okay, who’s calling dibs on commenting that JSO is funded by oil companies? I haven’t seen it in this thread yet.
If we did just stop oil today (in the way they want us to)…
1. What would happen to our economy?
2. What would the real world impact be?
Edit: Thanks for the downvote’s. They were genuine questions. I don’t form opinions on stuff like this without understanding the cause better. I guess people don’t actually know?
Well this blows apart the argument that JSO know that the paintings wear protected from damage when they threw soup and didn’t actually want to damage it.
Once you’ve got to smashing the protective glass, you are basically admitting you’d happily damage the art in the name of your cause.
Hope they get decent punishments but they’d obviously just regard themselves are martyrs.
Smashing the glass, and permanently risking the historic (and irreplaceable) artwork is **not** OK.
Defacing the glass with paint as a protest however I am OK with.
Make your point **without** risking something for the rest of time.
“What’s the best way to protest the use of oil? I know make everyone think we are a bunch annoying, stupid, cunts!”
Fossil fuels are not created equally. If JSO are serious about reducing carbon emissions and pollution from them they should change their name to JSC and protest outside coal mines in China. We will need SOME oil for decades at the very least and as we transition away from it (and investing more in alternative technologies) we should be targeting the worst emissions sources.
I refuse to believe that they aren’t a psyop not a single thing they do makes people like them
Why haven’t these scumbags been locked up? I keep recognising the same individuals.
Lol, just shows how stupid this generation of “protestors” are, all this lot has done is turned the public even further away from the message.
That fella is 20? Jeez that’s some heavy paper round he’s had. Honestly had him down as about 40. He also looks out of breath after his exertions too. Eat some proper food mate.
“Yes! They’re damaging their cause while getting hate from all different corners from the public but they’re getting people talking!”
– A fucking idiot
Until they start setting themselves on fire, Burmese monk style, everyone is going to see them as a bunch of privileged kids titting about. The Suffragettes actually put themselves in danger sometimes.
[removed]
Get to the houses of the oil CEOs etc. Until they’re being targeting nothing will change, and whilst I fully support their fight, this does nothing but piss off Joe Public. I do admire their moxy though.
If you’re fuming at this and apathetic/ flippant re . The climate apocalypse, your barefaced insanity will be revealed in just a decade or so. It’s actually becoming more absurdly jarring.
“The Cenotaph plan failed what do we do?”.
“Err.. Paintings! That got us plenty of attention last time!”.
“Didn’t it result in us pretty much getting condemned and mocked by everyone? How about doing something more constructive?”.
“…”
“… Shut up you Tory twonk”.
“So which painting then?”.
The beatings will escalate until people stop using oil
I never understand why Just Stop Oil doesn’t protest in Saudi Arabia or Qatar.
Have they come up with alternatives to the thousands of products that are made from oil yet?
I may not like our government’s continued evil lust for oil, but destroying our human cultural heritage? That’s also extremely bad.
Fuck whoever did this.
Those Just Stop Oil protesters all belong in a looney bin.
Just people looking for an excuse to be worthless little shits. Disgusting 😒
I had some sympathies with this movement so went to one of their protests. They littered (seriously), blew smoke in my toddlers face and then had BLM come over and, I kid you not, tell us how “Britain would be nothing if it wasn’t for black people”.
At which point I thought I had seen enough.
I still don’t think we should licence new oil drilling in the North Sea.
I won’t support Just Stop Oil again.
The National Gallery is free, can’t have poor people enjoying fine art.