Protesters demanded more government action on climate change by using spray paint and glue.
At least five activists from Just Stop Oil spray-painted "No New Oil" under the painting Copy Leonardo's The Last Supper, and then glued their hands to it. The painting shows the scene in the Bible where Jesus holds his last supper and tells his twelve apostles that they will all betray him. Giampietrino, a da Vinci student who was 500 years old, has been given the copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio could also have worked on it.
According to video footage, protestors who targeted the painting Tuesday demanded that their government end all new oil and gaz licenses in the U.K. In a statement, Just Stop Oil stated that they also asked members of the nation’s art institutions to support peaceful civil resistance.
This is the latest in a series of actions by the U.K. group. The same group of activists has glued themselves to several paintings in Glasgow, London, a Vincent Van Gogh painting, and a painting at Manchester Art Gallery. Another painting is at the National Gallery in London.
According to the BBC, six other activists belonging to the same group were also arrested after protesting on the Silverstone Circuit's track for a Formula 1 race in England.
According to the group, it is using such protests to press global leaders to keep their promises of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to curb global warming.
The world's temperature rise was to be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by 2100, according to global leaders. Scientists believe that the worst effects of global warming could be avoided if the goal is met. However, the world is still far from reaching this target.
"We don't have time to waste, and it is a lie to claim that we do. In a statement by Just Stop Oil, Lucy Porter, 47, a former Leeds primary teacher, stated that we must immediately stop all new oil and gaz. "Until then, disruption will continue to ensure that young people understand we are doing everything we can for them." I could not imagine doing anything else.
NPR reached out to the Royal Academy of the Arts, but they didn't respond immediately. The demonstration caused some damage to the painting, but it's not clear.
