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.

FWIW I think they've targeted the National Gallery because they are sponsored by BP (although they've already announced that the partnership will be ending). So I imagine the protest is against oil companies greenwashing their reputations by partnering with cultural institutions, and to make oil companies the new pariahs - like tobacco companies - that no-one will take sponsorship from.

No matter how good their message is they’re never going to get the public behind them behaving the way they do so it’s all a complete waste of time!

These ‘protestors’ tend to be pampered, elitist lefties without a real hobby. Patronising and thick to boot.

'pampered, elitist lefties?' You materialise direct from the pages of the Daily Mail @sst1234 ? Perhaps you could break down exactly what meaning that expression contains?

Those who say they’re alienating the public/won’t get support through these actions - what do you think will work?

There is no credible argument to suggest that man made climate change isn’t already causing havoc around the world - not to mention the economic and geopolitical ramifications of our reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Over 30 million people were made homeless by flooding in Pakistan and the public don’t support drastic climate action.

Energy bill hikes and high levels of inflation due to curtailed supply of imported fossil fuels is causing economic hardship for millions in the UK and the public don’t support drastic climate action.

Truly - what is left if not direct action?

They expect and want massive policy change from those who should be in charge, not dependent in individual small-scale decisions by families.

I'm on their side tbh. Great publicity for their cause, no harm done.

A point nicely proved by those people on this thread who seem more irritated by the stunt than by the threat it was designed to illuminate

That's all that these stunts achieve. They get people talking about how stupid or wrong their actions were, not about the cause they're supposedly trying to draw people's attention to.

Agree.

It's basically just vandalism dressed up as political action. They aren't making change happen just making themselves look like Twats .

Nope. I've just donated to Just Stop Oil as a direct result of this thread. As a donor I'll express my disapproval of stopping emergency vehicles. Otherwise I think they are right.

This

I don't think anyone listened to their message. They watched them throw the soup and glue themselves to the wall and then they stopped watching.

I've name changed for this.

My career has been within the huge corporations mentioned above for the best part of thirty years.

The changes that have been enacted to bring about net zero and to facilitate the energy transition are huge and are already bearing fruit. These activists are now largely just shouting into the void, it's happening.

You can't "just stop oil" as previous posters have said, society would simply collapse and it would be horrific.

I'm so proud to be part of this amazing, innovative, vital and forward thinking industry. We have the resources to be able to do this and we already are, it's not 'greenwashing', it's doing things the right way. Carbon capture, solar, hydrogen and wind are accelerating at an incredible pace, but hydrocarbons, responsibly produced and deployed are needed to get it built, keep us fed, safe and warm.

The history of big oil is definitely problematic, but it gets quite tiring hearing how awful we are these days, when so much of life depends on what we do and the effort that goes into doing it with the least impact to society and the environment.

dons hard hat

I thought that insulate Britain were a load of loonies, but all I've heard since Russia invaded the Ukraine is that we should be insulating Britain. So they wasn't wrong. So now I don't know what to think about this lot. The recent bus strikes caused as much disruption as they are.

I'm gonna do the same as a direct result of their actions and the short sightedness expressed by so many on this thread.

If they didn't get any media coverage they wouldn't pull cupid stunts

Dickheads.

If I ruled the world running them over would be legal. In real life I don't know anyone who doesn't think they are annoying twats who are turning more people against their cause than they are winning support for it.

I think the gallery should have protected the floor,given them plenty to eat and drink and have them as a living exhibit.They would have increased footfall,the protesters can protest for data until the glue wears off.
Win,win until the protesters first bottle of water arrives at their bladders.
This is a pointless way to protest and does detracts from real work being done.

Let's just all boil in our beds shall we. What's your suggestion for change?
So many have got their heads in the sand.

Over 30 million people were made homeless by flooding in Pakistan and the public don’t support drastic climate action

You act as if flooding in Pakistan is something new or unusual—it is not. In fact, fossil fuel-based construction has saved more and more lives from flooding. A country like Pakistan needs more fossil fuel-based construction for better drainage, etc, not less.

Energy bill hikes and high levels of inflation due to curtailed supply of imported fossil fuels is causing economic hardship for millions in the UK and the public don’t support drastic climate action

And whose fault is it that the UK does not have a domestic fracking industry, more offshore oil exploration nor a nuclear fleet? It would be the green lobby. This is actually your fault.

Europeans I find are completely divorced from energy reality—they just think they can ‘transition’ from fossil fuels.

These are people desperate to get the message across. If people are more disgusted about a painting being damaged (which it wasnt) than what we as a species are doing to our planet and to those less fortunate, then good grief, that's depressing. I admire their guts.

I’d have more respect for these people if they created critical art, a la Guernica, rather than sought to destroy it.

The Creative Arts is one of the things that civilise us.

It's all down to one thing as I see it , the planet is over populated . It cannot go on supporting an ever increasing number of humans

Insulate Britain where do you think this insulation comes from ?

Oil

I've been worried about the state of nature and climate change since I was a teenager in the 90s. So much so, I've worked in the environmental and conservation sector for over 20 years since graduating to try and make a real difference.
What I didn't do was piss people off who are just trying to earn a living or attempt to vandalise iconic works of art. This sort of stunt achieves nothing and helps no one.

But Just Stop Oil aren’t saying to cease all use of fossil fuels tomorrow. They’re saying the UK shouldn’t license any new fossil fuel projects.

You wouldn’t think calling on the government to invest in a cheaper, more secure form of energy would be controversial would you but there we go.

And yes, I do believe we have the means to ‘transition’ from fossil fuels - green hydrogen, wind power, solar, the list goes on. But if these technologies aren’t invested in now in favour of new fossil fuel projects I worry the alternative will never materialise and climate breakdown will be irreversible.