Protesters throw soup at the Mona Lisa

Two female activists threw soup at the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum on Sunday in protest against food security and protection of farmers. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, which is protected behind armored glass, was not damaged, according to multiple reports.

“What is the most important thing?” The women shouted in French to a crowd of onlookers after throwing soup onto the plate. “Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?”

“Our agricultural system is sick,” they said. “Our farmers are dying on the job.”

Videos and photos of the incident, which went viral on Sunday morning, showed the protective barrier of the Mona Lisa covered in lines of orange soup. The Louvre Museum did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Louvre Museum security personnel entered the “Hall of States” room where the painting is displayed, and video footage showed that they blocked the women with black screens before taking them out of the area. The Associated Press reported that Paris police arrested two people following the incident.

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The two activists appeared to be wearing white T-shirts with black letters bearing the phrase “Riposte Alimentaire,” the name of a protest group related to food security. Its responsibility For the accident. The word “Riposte Alimentaire” roughly translates to “dietary response” in English.

In a translator statement Posted on X (formerly Twitter), Riposte Alimentaire said the women’s actions were non-violent and that they hoped to raise awareness about issues faced by farmers and concerns about food security in the world. The group too called for French citizens will receive a food card worth 150 euros (about $163) per month.

“Farmers are being pressured by large-scale distribution pressures, to the point where they are selling at a loss,” the group said, according to a translation. “Our agricultural and food system also has very troubling environmental consequences.”

Riposte Alimentaire is part of the A22 movement, a collection of protest groups like Just Stop Oil, which made headlines in 2022 after soup was poured over Vincent van Gogh’s painting “Sunflowers” in London’s National Gallery, leading to arrests and the arrest of… Minor damage to the museum. Painting frame.

The Mona Lisa incident comes at a time when French farmers are protesting to demand better protection against imports and higher wages for what they produce, according to the Associated Press.

Rachida Dati, French Minister of Culture He said in X’s post Sunday that there is no reason that could justify the attack on the Mona Lisa.

“The Mona Lisa, like our heritage, belongs to future generations,” Dati wrote.

The Mona Lisa has been targeted by protesters in the past. In 2022, a man dressed as an old woman smeared the painting with cake-like cream. More than a decade ago, in 2009, a woman threw a ceramic cup at the plate. In 1956, the painting was exposed to rocks and acid, which prompted the museum to place it behind glass.

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