Activists throw tomato soup at Van Gogh paintings

Anti-oil activists have thrown tomato soup at Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh's famous painting Sunflowers in London. The two members of the "Just Stop Oil" organization spilled the contents of two cans over the work of art in the National Gallery on Friday morning, which has an estimated value of around 84 million euros. This was reported, among other things, by the broadcaster Sky News.

“Is art worth more than life? More than food? More than justice,” Just Stop Oil tweeted. "The cost of living crisis and climate crisis is being driven by oil and gas."

Security forces led the women away. It was initially unclear whether the painting, which is protected by glass, was damaged.

Just a few days earlier, climate activists of the “last generation” had set off a fire alarm in the Bundestag. They came to the Bundestag on Monday as regular visitors. The activated fire alarm would have been on the roof terrace. Members of parliament or parliamentary groups do not have to be present to visit the Reichstag dome.

In protest against the federal government's environmental policy, climate activists from the "Last Generation" initiative blocked several motorway exits in Berlin on Monday. In addition, two people on the roof of the Reichstag building damaged a window, the Berlin police said on request. A person also triggered a fire alarm in the Federal Ministry of Transport.

According to the information, seven access roads of the A100 and the A114 were affected by the motorway blockades on Monday morning. A total of 55 people took part in the protests. 21 activists stuck to the asphalt.

After the end of the blockades, activists tried again in the afternoon to block a lane near the A100. In connection with the fire alarm triggered in the Federal Ministry of Transport, criminal charges were filed against one person for misusing emergency calls and trespassing.

"The blaring sirens are proclaiming the obvious: We are in a climate emergency and the government has a duty to act accordingly," the Last Generation Initiative said in a statement on the protests. The federal government ignores this obligation. This is unacceptable, as it endangers the lives of citizens.

According to the Berlin traffic information center, long traffic jams formed as a result of the protests. Accordingly, road users had to expect waiting times of up to 70 minutes in the morning.

The "Last Generation" is a nationwide association of climate activists who are trying to get the government to act against the climate crisis with various campaigns. The movement had its origins in a hunger strike that took place ahead of the 2021 federal election to secure talks with the three candidates for the office of Chancellor. According to the initiative, around 250 people between the ages of twelve and 76 are now active members.

Two climate activists stuck themselves to a Picasso painting in Melbourne over the weekend. The two taped their hands to the acrylic sheet covering the anti-war painting Massacre in Korea at the Victoria National Gallery, police said on Sunday.