this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2023
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Two activists arrested after Rokeby Venus artwork targeted, as dozens of others held after blocking Whitehall

Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after smashing the glass covering a Diego Velázquez painting at the National Gallery in London, as police detained dozens of others who blocked Whitehall.

Two activists targeted the glass on the Rokeby Venus painting with safety hammers before they were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

The artwork, which was painted by Velázquez in the 1600s, was slashed by the suffragette Mary Richardson in 1914. One of those involved on Monday said: “Women did not get the vote by voting; it is time for deeds not words.”

The Metropolitan police said at least 40 activists who were “slow marching” in Whitehall were also detained and that the road was clear after traffic was stopped for a brief period

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[–] kralk@lemm.ee 60 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Drawing a direct line up the suffragettes is genius. History will prove them right

[–] HeartyBeast@kbin.social 29 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Hardly anyone argues again their cause being right. I’m not sure history will show that their campaign did much else than promote the misguided view that environmentalists are arseholes

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 1 year ago (3 children)

..a lot of people do argue against their cause, though, is the thing. We cannot wait for change to happen, we gotta force some hands.

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[–] Lols@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

people constantly argue against their cause being right, because their cause is we need to work on fixing the problems as much as possible and governments are not doing that

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[–] joelthelion@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I don't understand why they keep targeting art. Wouldn't smashing car windows (for example!) make more sense?

[–] topinambour_rex@lemmy.world 65 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Throwing paint on buildings owned owned by oil companies make more sense, but it never reach the news.

[–] BirdyBoogleBop@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They have also targeted luxury car dealerships. People said the exact same things they always say when they do anything.

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[–] foggy@lemmy.world 52 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Art is an investment rich people use to stay wealthy, I think it's symbolic. They're in a ln odd way attacking institutional wealth, which tracks for an organization that calla themselves "Stop Oil."

I don't know that this is their take, but it's my reading on the repeated choice to attack fine art.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago

As a poor person who loves art in many mediums, this is a pretty bleak and depressing take. Yes some art is that, but there's a reason people travel from all the world over to see the Sistine Chapel or the Eiffel Tower. There's a reason poor people feeling like their voice isn't heard pick up a pen or a brush, or film, or a spray can, etc.

[–] brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Art isn't only that though and if that's the point it's going to go unnoticed and unrealized by most people rendering any symbolism or point moot. A circlejerk where people pat themselves on the back on the oh-so-deep symbolism and historical callbacks is not going to change anything but the brunches of some pretentious assholes who think they're saving the world when they're actually doing more harm than good.

This is more like protesting the fur industry by releasing the caged, tortured animals into the wild to wreak more havoc as an invasive species to the enviroment and ecosystem they're released into, but at least people can cheers themselves for making a difference.

[–] STRIKINGdebate2@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Because art gets them more publicity. Also if they are going around smashing car windows then they are liable to thousands in fines due to criminal damage, turn the general public against them even more so than they already are and it will likely legitimise tough laws being created against this group.

[–] PugJesus@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

... do you think they aren't going to be liable for damaging art that is worth as much as or more than most common cars?

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[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That would be attacking the public though. Destroying Art is something that is technically accessible to all, but practically only studied and coveted by the wealthy (who have time and financial assets to pursue it)

[–] fubo@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

I'm guessing it's a class/luxury thing. Cars are mostly owned by workers; smashing them puts the cost on those individual workers.

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[–] HurlingDurling@lemm.ee 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why do they hate oil paintings so much?

[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Just a misunderstanding. This group is Just Stop Oil (paintings). They hate the medium.

The other group is Just Stop Oil: the anti-oil, coal, and natural gas group.

Same name, so it's easy to get them confused.

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[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I find it funny that oil activists funny just go find a random piece of oil pipeline in the middle of nowhere to sabotage. Seriously, the things stretch for hundreds of miles, there can't be a shortage of isolated segments behind no more than a chain link fence at most.

[–] nikscha@feddit.de 27 points 1 year ago (6 children)

There's actually a pretty good reason why they don't do that. Media attention. Most acts of activism are ignored. Only extreme things make it into the media (sadly). Anything short of blowing up the pipeline won't get them media attention. How do I know that? "Letzte Generation", a German activist group did shut down a pipeline, but nobody bothered to report about it.

[–] jarfil@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Wait... was Nord Stream an activist job?

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[–] alekwithak@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oil leak caused by activists is great PR.

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[–] theKalash@feddit.ch 9 points 1 year ago

But that isn't just a little vandalism, that carries some serious criminal charges.

[–] nautilus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Dudes be like nooo stop trying to hurt the nice paper and go protest somewhere else so we can more easily ignore you

Putting the protection of art above what these people are protesting is both hilarious and also extremely depressing

[–] Deceptichum@kbin.social 25 points 1 year ago (4 children)

But this is very easy to ignore, a bougie art gallery?

Go slash a ceos neck or something if you’re going to go to gaol anyway.

[–] photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This gets just as much attention for much less jail time.

[–] TheMauveAvenger@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

This gets almost zero lasting attention. CEOs start dropping like flies at the hands of angry citizens? Yeah, that's going to make a bigger difference.

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[–] STRIKINGdebate2@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We could be seeing this soon tbh. Not that encourage it.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] TheMauveAvenger@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

A lot of these goons are paid by oil to make environmentalists look bad, and they do a good job at it. Even if they are real, they are so pathetic that they wouldn't dare to do anything that would have an actual effect on the world like you said.

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[–] brewbellyblueberry@sopuli.xyz 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Great job comprehending what you're reading.

It's a million times more depressing that the majority of environmentalist-minded people apparently see these publicity stunts as positive.

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 year ago (5 children)

The arts are like one of the first things to go if shit will start to go down due to climate change

There is this specific absolutely beautiful instrument at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. It was made out of trash by people in abject poverty. The arts might change, but it's pretty damn hard to extinguish that creative spark people have.

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[–] art@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Why would activists pull a stunt that would bring attention to their concerns from the main stream media?"

~ Lemmy Users, Probably

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[–] AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I love how civilization is irrevocably fucked by its own hand and there are still peasants at the ready to scold the desperate still clinging to hope somehow for defacing the apple cart in its race to oblivion.

"Herp derp we just need to keep doing what we're supposed to do and everything will be fine!"

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[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

So switch to acryllic paintings? :) Who knew art supply fans were so dogmatic.

[–] NAXLAB@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's crazy that they have the right idea about direct action and yet are using it on the worst possible targets.

Disrupting an art museum will not stop pollution or inconvenience the fossil fuel industry.

Take advice from MLK: Be nonviolent, but get in the way. Use methods of coercion.

[–] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is non violent, and is in the way, and is coercion? And it's exactly the kind of thing that King was criticized for doing.

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[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What the hell is a "safety hammer"?

[–] Sheldybear@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

A hammer designed to smash glass - it's a 'safety hammer' because they are kept in cars to smash windows in emergencies where people are stuck.

[–] merthyr1831@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago
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