The “Just Stop Oil” group, mainly in London, is known primarily for throwing soup onto famous artworks like those by Vincent Van Gogh. However, they often receive more hate for what they do and are given attention by media groups for being in court for crimes in the name of protesting.
Many artists have been victims of Just Stop Oil over the years, like the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and more recently works done by Van Gogh in the exhibit “Poets and Lovers.”
According to The Guardian, “Just Stop Oil activists poured soup over two paintings in the National Gallery, London, just hours after other group members were jailed for damaging the gold frame of the artist’s Sunflowers painting.”
Throwing soup onto artwork may not seem harmless since all the paintings have some form of protection, such as glass or plastic but it affects many people as art is a deep part of our world. The protesters are more seen for their crimes and the hate they bring with them and some of the protesters have gone much farther than just throwing soup.
The Gale article, “Just Stop Oil Protesters Smash National Gallery painting” said “Our government has revealed plans for more oil licenses, knowing it will kill millions. In response, two supporters of Just Stop Oil smashed the Rokeby Venus.”
While the group has gone to the extreme and has shown many times that they don’t care about being jailed for what they do because they are “helping humanity,” it is one of the most influential protesting groups in the world because of how much media attention they get through their crimes.
The Art Newspaper said, “Just Stop Oil has undoubtedly been one of the most successful campaigns of civil disobedience in history.”
Whether Just Stop Oil will cause serious damage to the art world has been discussed in many groups; The Art Newspaper and The Guardian, each saying something different. The group itself sees nothing wrong with what it does and only cares about the message.
The Just Stop Oil organization said, “Our governments must work together to establish a legally binding treaty to stop extracting and burning oil, gas and coal by 2030, as well as supporting and financing poorer countries to make a fast, fair and just transition. This can be accomplished by endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative and seeking a negotiating mandate to establish the treaty.”
The organization wants to save the climate yet they destroy art. Advocating for the earth’s environment and the use of harmful fuels, they do their best to reach people through any source of media they can and there is little they won’t do in the name of protecting the earth.
