Two environmentalists threw cans of soup at the Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre museum, Paris. Several stunned tourists witnessed and recorded the incident.
The videos show two women throwing can of soup on the painting. They hit the bullet-proof glass that protects the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. They then jumped over the wooden barrier and began shouting in French while the rest of the visitors responded by booing their behavior.
🇫🇷 Deux militantes écologistes ont jeté de la soupe sur la vitre blindée protégeant "La Joconde" au Louvre, en justifiant leur action par leur volonté de promouvoir notamment "le droit à une alimentation saine et durable" #AFPTV ⤵️
🎥@candavid5 pic.twitter.com/EpWdDUU255
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) January 28, 2024
"What is more important, art or access to healthy food," shouted one of the environmental activists. For a week now, France has been experiencing a new episode of protests led by the country's agricultural sector. Farmers have been up in arms against the government demanding an end to policies that destroy their profit margins and their industry. They claim this is due to the increase in taxes and the increase in the price of fossil fuels for agricultural activities.
The Mona Lisa, considered the most famous painting in the world, was the victim of another attack by activists just over a year ago. In 2022, vandals threw cake at the painting. It was the first time the Mona Lisa had been attacked since 2005. In the last two years, attacks against pieces of art in museums have intensified as a form of protest by activists.
