Climate activists take hammers to famous painting in London museum

Climate activists took hammers to a famous painting in London on Monday 
while calling for the U.K. to stop new oil and gas projects in the 
country.

Just Stop Oil attacked Diego Velázquez's 17th-century painting "Rokeby 
Venus" with "safety hammers" on Monday as tourists viewed the artwork 
hanging in the National Gallery.

The pair of protesters, identified in the Just Stop Oil press release as 
Harrison Donnelly, 20, and Hanan, 22, took the hammers to the glass before 
shouting at museum patrons claims that millions will die due to new oil 
and gas leases.

"Women did not get the vote by voting; it is time for deeds not words. It 
is time to Just Stop Oil," said Hanan, who was not identified by her full 
name by the organization.

"Politics is failing us. Politics failed women in 1914," Donnelly, who was 
identified by his full name, said.

"Millions will die due to new oil and gas licenses. Millions!" Donnelly 
continued. "If we love history, if we love art, and if we love our 
families, we must just stop oil."

The protesters then sat down in front of the rope they crossed to take 
hammers to a multimillion-dollar painting.

"Rokeby Venus" was slashed over a century ago by suffragettes in the push 
for women's voting rights. It is worth an estimated £72.5 million.

A spokesperson for the National Gallery told Fox News Digital the pair who 
smashed the painting were arrested. They have been reportedly charged on 
suspicion of criminal damage.

"At just before 11am this morning (6 November 2023) two people entered 
Room 30 of the National Gallery," a National Gallery spokesperson told Fox 
News Digital. "The pair appeared to strike The Toilet of Venus (‘The 
Rokeby Venus’) (1647-1651) by Velázquez with what appeared to be emergency 
rescue hammers."

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painting-in-london-museum