Just Stop Oil environmental group attacks Van Gogh paintings hours after two of its activists were imprisoned

Just Stop Oil won't stop. Hours after two of its activists were sentenced to two years in prison for throwing soup on a Van Gogh painting, activists from the environmental group targeted two more of the artist's paintings. 

The organization openly flaunted its defiance by sharing a video of the second attack at the National Gallery in London. In the footage, one activists is heard stating "there are people in prison demanding an end to new oil and gas, something which is now government policy."

The recent convictions of Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland show no signs of deterring the group's activism. In the latest incident, two paintings from Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' series, previously targeted in the October 2022 attack, were once again the target. 

In a statement reported by local media, the British museum confirmed the activists had been arrested. It also reported that the paintings were undamaged and pledged to "reopen the exhibition as soon as possible."

The October 2022 episode was one of the group's most attention-grabbing, known for its showy and controversial demonstrations. Judge Christopher Hehir ruled that the painting could have been "seriously damaged or even destroyed," despite the defense arguing that the activists had ensured the artwork was protecteed by a coating. 

"You couldn’t have cared less if the painting was damaged or not," Hehir said, in a statement reported by The Telegraph. "You had no right to do what you did to Sunflowers."