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

  • Deceptichum
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    251 year ago

    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.

      • @TheMauveAvenger
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        71 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.

    • StrikerOP
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      81 year ago

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

      • @Grimy
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        91 year ago

        I encourage it

        • Ragdoll X
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          31 year ago

          For legal reasons I encourage it in Roblox.

    • @TheMauveAvenger
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      61 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.

    • @jarfil
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      -11 year ago

      That’s senseless violence which doesn’t accomplish anything… CEOs are easier to replace than a painting.