Reference: See hereSupporters of Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland from Just Stop Oil protest in front of Southwark Crown Court on September 27, 2024 in London, England. Credit: Peter Nicholls/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
(CNN) — Two climate activists in their early 20s were sentenced to prison by a London court Friday for throwing soup over Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting during a protest against fossil fuels.
These are the latest in a string of prison sentences handed to climate activists in the UK for engaging in disruptive protests against the use of fossil fuels. Two relatively new, controversial laws have boosted the powers of police and courts to crack down on protests that are disruptive, even when they are peaceful.
The sentences appeared to do little to deter Just Stop Oil: Hours after they were handed down, three more Just Stop Oil activists threw soup over two other Van Gogh paintings of sunflowers in the Poets and Lovers exhibition at the National Gallery, the same venue the 2022 protests was staged, according to the group.
"Sunflowers" — worth more than $84 million — was preserved under protective glass but the protesters were accused of causing £10,000 (over $13,000) worth of damage to its golden frame.
Judge Christopher Hehir admonished Plummer and Holland in court Friday, saying the "cultural treasure" could have been "seriously damaged or even destroyed" by their actions.
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