To think this is awful? (Just Stop Oil protesters throwing soup over Van Gogh painting)

[TheCatsPyjamas1]

Just read that some Just Stop Oil protesters have thrown soup over a Van Gogh painting in the National Gallery in London. AIBU to think this is unacceptable?

I fully support the message of the group (investing in environmentally responsible energy rather than fossil fuels, and helping to make society more equal for everyone), but I find their protest methods are awful and risk alienating people who would otherwise support them.

They keep on doing crazy things, and seem to be escalating their action each time they protest. I don’t really know when or how it’ll end.

I don’t really know when or how it’ll end.

When a driver snaps and actually runs them over for blocking traffic. I won't feel too sad about that and can't imagine many others would either.

agree a stupid thing to do but just fyi the painting is behind glass - in case people think the actual painting has been vandalised!!

Absolutely pointless act.

Yeah I saw that @needthiswilderness thank god it is protected. Also, given it is protected, isn’t what they’re doing basically pointless? They’re not really damaging the painting (thank god), but instead just pissing everyone off.

They are terrorists.

So they didn't throw soup over a painting, they threw it at glass?

Same. They need to fuck off and try another approach cos this way just harbours resentment from the general public

Obviously the intention was to throw it on the painting.

Sone of them voted themselves to the walls inside Kelvingrobe in Glasgow months ago. I think they should have left them as a live exhibit. After not being able tinscess a toilet and eat or drink anything, they’d realise they are tubes.

How did they get the soup in? Last time I went you had to leave large bags in the cloakroom.

I gather they have glued themselves as well. Why can’t we just leave the p/m in situ until they bored or hungry. Then they can Rip themselves free,

Yes of course they are wrong to do it. But in the grand scheme of things their message is of such importance, trashing every art gallery in the uk is of little significance in truth.

We have energy crisis. We have cost of living crisis. We have fuel crisis.

The word crisis is used for so many things these days that we dont realise that when it does become a crisis, for our children more likely, it may end up with the collapse of society as we know it.

But as along as they dont get in the way of a few MN members on the school run in their chelsea tractor thats ok.

I have often wondered this particularly when I read the other that they had stopped an Ambulance getting to its destination.

I have to say that they were stopping my critically ill child from getting emergency treatment that could mean the difference between life and death, then it would be a serious consideration.

I hope they go to prison for damaging a Van Gogh. Cunts.

YANBU. They need locking up. And people should be free to just run them over if they’re going to insist on playing in the road.

We have energy crisis. We have cost of living crisis. We have fuel crisis.

None of which will be solved in the short term by stopping gas and oil exploration/extraction. What do they expect people to do? Burn logs in their living rooms? Twats.

Climate change is literally happening right now. If we don't do something our children may not survive. Certainly our grandchildren will not inherit a livable planet. But because it will not be profitable, be good for buisness our government, the people in power, do NOTHING.

fuck the painting.

I am actually leaning towards admiring their balls. They aren't the ones blocking roads which I agree annoys people and endangers lives. But the painting is probably worth a few million, of course it is behind glass. Last week I think they poured excrement over a statue of Tom Moore stating that private jets are shitting on what he stood for. Again, no one was hurt and nothing a bit of Dettol and a hose couldn't fix.

People have always protested and it isn't a crime here.

Yes I actually think the people profiting from keeping us all enslaved to fossil fuels are greater terrorists than these people but for some reason what they do is acceptable.

I don’t get the contradiction between stop oil and rising costs - costs would spiral even more with lower supply

They're getting publicity, that's the aim.

I completely agree with them about the urgency of climate action, but I just can’t see how throwing soup at a painting will help. At least in the Greenpeace actions of yesteryear, they went out and confronted the whalers etc.

In this case they may not have damaged the painting but otherwise repainting have been damaged by similar protestors.

i fundamentally disagree with the vandalism they are nasty little over privileged oils who need to work harder to find a better way to get their message across.

When they glue themselves to something I think they should just be left there. Watched obviously to stop further vandalism, but let them stay there and wet & mess themselves, no water or food.

I'd pay good money to go and laugh at them.

Auto correct: other paintings

Mindless little idiots.

The naked people who glued themselves to the windows of the visitors gallery in Parliament caused no damage for example