Just Stop Oil protestors arrested for throwing soup over Van Gogh paintings again

Three people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil activists threw soup at two Van Gogh paintings in the National Gallery, hours after two protestors were jailed for doing the same thing in 2022

Just Stop Oil activists have poured soup over two Vincent Van Gogh paintings just hours after other members of the group were jailed for damaging the gold frame of the artist’s Sunflowers.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Just Stop Oil said: “BREAKING: 2 VAN GOGH PAINTINGS SOUPED HOURS AFTER PHOEBE AND ANNA SENTENCED.

“3 Just Stop Oil supporters have thrown soup over 2 of Van Gogh(‘s) paintings in the ‘Poets and Lovers’ exhibition at the National Gallery”.

The post featured a video of the activists vandalising the artwork before telling an angry crowd: “There are people in prison for demanding an end to new oil and gas, something which is now government policy after sustained, disruptive actions, countless headlines and the resulting political pressure.

“Future generations will regard these prisoners of conscience to be on the right side of history.” The National Gallery confirmed the three activists had been arrested and the paintings remain unharmed.

A statement said: “At just after 2.30pm this afternoon, three people entered Room 6 of the National Gallery Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers exhibition.

“They appeared to throw a soup like substance over two works – Sunflowers (1888, National Gallery, London) and Sunflowers (1889, Philadelphia Museum of Art).

“Police were called and three people have been arrested. The paintings were removed from display and examined by a conservator and are unharmed. We are aiming to reopen the exhibition as soon as possible.”

Phoebe Plummer 23, and Anna Holland, 22, were jailed on Friday after causing as much as £10,000 worth of damage to the artwork’s gold-coloured frame when they targeted it at London’s National Gallery.

The pair caused as much as £10,000 worth of damage to the artwork’s gold-coloured frame when they targeted it at London’s National Gallery. Plummer received a two-year jail term, while Holland was handed 20 months. The protesters, wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts, threw two tins of Heinz tomato soup over the 1888 work in October 2022, before kneeling down in front of the painting and gluing their hands to the wall beneath it.