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Two Just, Stop Oil activists, Phoebe Plumer and Anna Holland, were sentenced to prison for throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at the National Gallery in London in October 2022. The painting was protected by glass and emerged unscathed. Judge Christopher Hehir sentenced Plumer to two years and three months in prison, while Holland received a 20-month sentence. They were also fined £10,000 (€18,000) for damages caused during the incident.
Plumer, 23, and Holland, 22, were found guilty of causing criminal damage over £5,000 for this protest action in July. Plumer received an additional four-month prison sentence for “interfering with national infrastructure” by participating in a peaceful march in Earls Court, London in 2023. Just Stop Oil expects the convicted activists to serve at least half of their sentences in prison.
In response to the conviction, three Just Stop Oil activists carried out a new action, throwing tomato soup at two of Van Gogh’s paintings at the National Gallery – the 1888 and 1889 “Sunflowers” versions. Phil Green, one of the participants in the new soup launch, proclaimed, “Future generations will consider us conscientious objectors and believe that we were on the right side of history.” The National Gallery reported that the vandalized paintings remain undamaged and have been removed for examination by a restorer.
Just Stop Oil highlights that 25 members of its platform are currently in prison for their direct actions demanding concrete measures from political leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The climate action platform expressed regret that activists are being denied the right to protest, while those responsible for oil exploitation, whom they consider the real criminals, remain free. Over 63,000 people, including 10 UK Members of Parliament, have signed a Just Stop Oil petition demanding an end to the imprisonment of non-violent protesters.
Environmental groups in the United Kingdom received the new convictions as a cold shower. Before the sentencing, more than 100 artists – gathered by Greenpeace and the Liberate Tate group – had asked the judge to avoid prison for the activists, considering that the painting was not damaged as it was protected by glass.
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Judge Hehir, who delivered the sentences, had previously sentenced five other activists to four and five years in prison in July for blocking traffic on the M25 motorway in London, calling them “fanatics.”
The judge had warned Plumer and Holland to be “physically and emotionally prepared to go to prison.”
In their statements, both Plumer and Holland remained resolute. Plumer said, “My choice is to accept any sentence I receive with a smile, knowing that I am at peace for having done what I could to prevent millions of innocent people from suffering and dying.” Holland stated that she did not expect justice “from a broken system that has been corrupted by its dependence on fossil fuels,” adding, “Prison sentences, no matter how long, will not silence us. We will not stop demanding an end to all extraction and burning of fossil fuels.”
The Just Stop Oil activists continue to face legal consequences under the strict Public Order Act promoted by the conservative government of Rishi Sunak. As the country faces the immediate consequences of climate change, the organization emphasizes that those advocating for urgent action are being silenced and incarcerated.
