The activist glued his head to “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” “How do you feel?”

On Thursday, October 27, two activists sympathizing with the Just Stop Oil organization glued themselves to the painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” in the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague. The men also poured canned tomatoes on themselves and uttered several slogans reminding them of the climate crisis and the problems of the planet. A third person also took part in the action and filmed everything for social media. All three were detained by the police and taken into custody.

Activists’ attack on “Girl with a Pearl Earring”

The museum authorities noted that the world-famous painting by Johannes Vermeer was not damaged. They confirmed that one person glued his head to the glass casing of the masterpiece. The other one taped her hand to the wall, right next to “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” One of the activists asked the gathered people if they felt angry when something beautiful and priceless was attacked and destroyed before their eyes. He emphasized that the same applies to the destruction of the planet.

Activists said in a statement later that they would not destroy a work of art that was not covered with protective glass. However, they drew attention to the pressing problem of the climate crisis. “The message is clear: if humanity does not immediately stop using fossil fuels, it will become extinct,” they emphasized. The Mauritshuis museum also issued a statement, emphasizing that art is defenseless and there is no consent to attempts to destroy it for any purpose.

A series of attacks on works of art

The events in the Netherlands were not the first such case. A few days ago, activists of the “Last Generation”, a climate protection group, carried out an attack on a valuable painting by the French impressionist Claude Monet in the Barberini Museum in Potsdam. A work from the “Les Meules” (“Haystacks”) series was covered with a sticky mass of mashed potatoes on Sunday. The attack was confirmed by museum spokeswoman Carolin Stranz, quoted by the German dpa agency.

Earlier, a pair of activists attacked van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” by pouring canned soup over the painting. Then, members of the Just Stop Oil group stuck themselves to the wall and gave a short speech justifying their radical action.

Controversial Just Stop Oil actions

In mid-July, two people stuck to paintings by John Constable and Leonardo da Vinci. A few weeks later, another operation was carried out, during which not only several gas stations in central London were blocked, but also several gas pumps were destroyed. One of the activists also sprayed orange paint on the luxury department store Harrods in London.

“Charles III” got punched in the face

On October 24, Just Stop Oil members organized another controversial happening. This time, their victim was the statue of King Charles III located in the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in London. A recording was released online showing two activists grabbing pieces of cake with their hands, then throwing the cake at the face of the “king” and spreading the cream carefully. A video showing the course of the action was posted online.