Five environmental activists from the group Just Stop Oil who stuck to the frame of a painting representing the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci were each sentenced to a fine of 486 pounds (about 547 euros) by a London court on Wednesday.
Aged 22 to 51, the five activists had participated, on July 5, at the Royal Academy of Arts, in this operation of the environmental organization which calls for the cessation of any new hydrocarbon project in the United Kingdom.
biblical scene
The targeted work, attributed to Giampietrino, is a life-size copy of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting and depicts the biblical scene during which Jesus announces that one of his 12 apostles will betray him.
"
The concept of the last supper
", in reference to the English translation of the title of Leonardo da Vinci's painting, "
is a reality for millions of people around the world, at a time when declining harvests due to climate change are dragging us towards a general famine
, "said one of the defendants, Jessica Agar, in court, according to comments reported by Just Stop Oil in a press release.
Judge ruled that while
activists' '
first intention ' '
was to provoke media attention and not damage a work of art
', they could not have been unaware that the damage caused would be '
a consequence
' of their actions .
Punch operation
The Just Stop Oil group has multiplied shock actions in recent months to alert on the misdeeds of hydrocarbons, in particular last October, during which it organized daily blockages and punch operations.
Activists had notably attacked Van Gogh's
Sunflowers
, exhibited at the National Gallery in London, by sprinkling the work, protected by a window, with tomato soup.
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Six other members of the group are currently on trial for disrupting the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone in England last year.
According to the NGO, nine of its activists are currently in prison, awaiting trial or serving a sentence.