AFP

Environmental protesters threw tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting at the London’s National Gallery on Friday, in the latest “direct-action” stunt targeting works of art.

The gallery said the protesters caused “minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed”.

Protest group Just Stop Oil aims to end UK government approval for exploring, developing and producing fossil fuels, and has mounted a series of high-profile protests.

London’s Metropolitan Police said its officers arrested two protesters from the group for criminal damage and aggravated trespass after they “threw a substance over a painting” at the gallery on Trafalgar Square and glued themselves to a wall just after 11 am (1000 GMT).

Police said they had unglued the protesters and taken them to a central London police station.

The National Gallery said the two protesters “appeared to glue themselves to the wall adjacent to Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers'” and threw a “red substance” at the painting. The room was cleared of visitors and police were called, it added.

A video posted on Twitter by the Guardian newspaper’s environment correspondent Damien Gayle and retweeted by the eco-activism group shows two women wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan “Just Stop Oil” lobbing cans of soup at the iconic painting.

After glueing themselves to the wall, one of the activists shouts: “What is worth more, art or life?”

“Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” she asks.

In the video, someone can be heard yelling “oh my God” as the soup hits the canvas and another person shouts “Security!” while soup drips from the frame onto the floor.

Just Stop Oil said in a statement its activists threw two cans of Heinz Tomato soup over the painting to demand the UK government halt all new oil and gas projects.

It later tweeted that the protest’s message was “Choose life over art”.

“Human creativity and brilliance is on show in this gallery, yet our heritage is being destroyed by our government’s failure to act on the climate and cost of living crisis,” the group said.

The activist group said the painting has an estimated value of $84.2 million.

The National Gallery says on its website the signed painting from 1888 was acquired by the gallery in 1924. 

Van Gogh created seven versions of “Sunflowers” in total and five are on public display in museums and galleries across the world. 

One of those — the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam — said it was keeping “a close eye on developments” that might affect its own security measures.

Well-known Dutch ‘art detective’ Arthur Brand, dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the Art World” for recovering famous artworks, condemned the attack.

“There are hundreds of ways to achieve attention for the climate problems. This should not be one of them,” he said.

– ‘Cross a line’ –

The attack came a week after British Home Secretary Suella Braverman issued a threat to direct-action climate protesters, who she said were using “guerrilla tactics” to bring “chaos and misery” to the public.

“Whether you’re Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain or Extinction Rebellion, you cross a line when you break the law — and that’s why we’ll keep putting you behind bars,” she said.

Just Stop Oil has previously targeted several other famous paintings with glue attacks.

In June, two activists glued their hands to the frame of van Gogh’s painting “Peach Trees in Blossom” at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

In July, supporters glued their hands to the frame of British painter John Constable’s “The Hay Wain” at the National Gallery.

They first taped over the canvas with a “reimagined version” of the bucolic scene, showing the landscape covered in pollution, dotted with wildfires and overflown by aircraft. 

In the same month, they glued themselves to a full-scale copy of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at the Royal Academy in London.

In recent days, Just Stop Oil has held multiple protests blocking major roads.

Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said of the protests that he was “frustrated so many officers are being taken away from tackling issues that matter most to communities”.

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It may seem a drop in the ocean, but the $13 million Denmark has earmarked as aid for climate change-related “loss and damages” set an important precedent.

It might just end up helping open a fresh flow of aid to the world’s most vulnerable countries.

Danish Development Cooperation Minister Flemming Moller told the UN General Assembly last month the money was for “climate adaptation and concrete activities to avert, minimise and address climate-induced loss and damage”.

It would mainly help island states and countries in the Sahel region of North Africa, he added.

Denmark’s gesture, however modest, represents an important contribution to the debate over the still-contentious notion of “loss and damages”.

“In some ways, Denmark is a pioneer,” said Lily Salloum Lindegaard, who specialises in the politics of climate change at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

Only Scotland and Belgium’s Walloon government have made such commitments previously, she added — and on a modest scale.

“But Denmark’s commitment provides further progress if we are to address the extensive losses and damages already experienced due to climate change,” Lindegaard told AFP.

“In comparison to the needs on the ground, the Danish commitment is quite small” given the scale of the problem.

But, she added: “The Danish commitment is more significant in political terms, as developed countries have long shied away from finance to losses and damages.”

– Pushback –

As the consequences of global warming — measured in lives lost and economic damages — have piled up, calls for loss and damage as a separate category have mounted.

Developing nations see this kind of funding as compensation — a form of reparations — above and beyond “adaptation” support to build resilience against future impacts.

Rich nations, while acknowledging the need that developing nations have for aid, remain wary of setting a legal precedent that might suggest liability for any and all future damages.

“Climate finance to date has basically only gone to preventing climate change impacts and related losses and damages through mitigation and adaptation efforts,” said Lindegaard.

And not every country is willing to go further, she added.

“There has already been some pushback from the US,” said Lindegaard.

“However, the science of loss and damage is already quite clear and continues to develop quickly, which makes it increasingly difficult for countries to sidestep the issue.”

– ‘We are committed’ –

As climate change amplifies the devastation of extreme weather events, pressure is mounting on developed nations to do more to help.

The world’s most vulnerable countries in the Global South are least responsible for causing the problem — the G20 group of major economies account for 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions today, and even more historically. 

Pakistan — a nation of 220 million that has seen record monsoon rains this year linked to climate chang — emits less than one percent.

Denmark’s announcement at the UN Assembly General sent a clear message, Danish Development Minister Flemming Moller Mortensen told AFP.

“We are committed to helping the people and communities that are suffering from the consequences of climate change. 

“These are the people that are losing their houses to floods, the farmers that are losing their harvest because of drought”.

– Start of a dialogue –

At last year’s COP26, developing countries did not get the commitments they were looking for on targeted financial commitments.

Rich countries agreed only to begin a two-year dialogue on the issue running through 2024.

Denmark spends some $2.9 billion annually on development aid according to the OECD, equivalent to about 0.7 percent of gross national income.

It has set a target of spending at least 60 percent of its aid on climate adaptation, and is the first country to specifically allocate funds to redress its impacts.

But even Denmark’s commitment is short on details.

Its funds will be distributed between NGOs and a strategic initiative with details forthcoming, said the foreign ministry.

Their announcement was nevertheless widely seen as setting an important precedent.

It remains to be seen whether other countries will follow suit.

Environmental protesters on Friday threw tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting at the London’s National Gallery, in the latest “direct-action” stunt targeting works of art.

The gallery said the protesters caused “minor damage to the frame but the painting is unharmed”.

Just Stop Oil aims to end UK government involvement in oil and gas and has mounted a series of high-profile protests.

London’s Metropolitan Police said its officers arrested two protesters from the group for criminal damage and aggravated trespass after they “threw a substance over a painting” at the gallery on Trafalgar Square and glued themselves to a wall just after 11 am (1000 GMT).

Police said they had unglued the protesters and taken them to a central London police station.

The National Gallery said the two protesters “appeared to glue themselves to the wall adjacent to Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers'” and threw a “red substance” at the painting. The room was cleared of visitors and police called, it added.

A video posted on Twitter by the Guardian newspaper’s environment correspondent Damien Gayle and retweeted by the eco-activism group shows two women wearing T-shirts with the slogan “Just Stop Oil” lobbing cans of soup at the iconic painting.

After glueing themselves to the wall, one of the activists shouts: “What is worth more, art or life?”

“Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?” she asks.

In the video, someone can be heard yelling “oh my God” as the soup hits the canvas, and another person shouts “Security?” while soup drips from the frame onto the floor.

Just Stop Oil said in a statement its activists threw two cans of Heinz Tomato soup over the painting to demand the UK government halt all new oil and gas projects.

It later tweeted that the protest’s message was “Choose life over art”.

“Human creativity and brilliance is on show in this gallery, yet our heritage is being destroyed by our Government’s failure to act on the climate and cost of living crisis,” the group said.

The activist group said the painting has an estimated value of $84.2 million.

The National Gallery on its website says the signed painting from 1888 was acquired by the gallery in 1924. 

It is one of five versions of “Sunflowers” on public display in museums and galleries across the world. Van Gogh created seven in total.

– ‘Cross a line’ –

The gallery called the works “among Van Gogh’s most iconic and best-loved works”.

The attack came a week after Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman issued a threat to direct-action protesters who she said were using “guerrilla tactics” to bring “chaos and misery” to the public.

“Whether you’re Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain or Extinction Rebellion, you cross a line when you break the law — and that’s why we’ll keep putting you behind bars,” she said.

Just Stop Oil has previously targeted several other famous paintings with glue attacks.

In June, two activists glued their hands to the frame of van Gogh’s painting “Peach Trees in Blossom” at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

In July, supporters glued their hands to the frame of British painter John Constable’s “The Hay Wain” at the National Gallery.

They first taped over the canvas with a “reimagined version” of the bucolic scene, showing the landscape covered in pollution, dotted with wildfires and overflown by aircraft. 

In the same month, they glued themselves to a full-scale copy of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at the Royal Academy in London.

In recent days, Just Stop Oil has held multiple protests blocking highways.

Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said of the protests that he was “frustrated so many officers are being taken away from tackling issues that matter most to communities.”

Three Swedish right-wing parties will build a minority government with the unprecedented backing of the far-right Sweden Democrats, the parties said Friday, unveiling plans for new nuclear reactors and a crime and immigration crackdown.

The incoming government will be made up of the conservative Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals, with the far-right Sweden Democrats remaining outside the coalition but providing key support in parliament.

The four presented a 62-page roadmap Friday for their cooperation, outlining measures to address what they defined as the biggest challenges facing Sweden: rising crime, immigration, energy, healthcare, education, the economy and the climate.

“All this in what is possibly the most dangerous time for Sweden since World War II,” Moderates leader Ulf Kristesson told reporters in a reference to the war raging in Ukraine which prompted Sweden’s historic NATO membership application.

Parliament will vote on Kristersson as the new prime minister on Monday and the future government is expected to take office on Tuesday, just over a month after the right-wing won a narrow victory in a general election that ousted the Social Democrats after eight years in power.

The anti-immigration and nationalist Sweden Democrats, once shunned as pariahs on Sweden’s political scene, were the big winners of the September 11 vote.

They emerged as the country’s second-largest party with a record 20.5 percent of votes, behind outgoing prime minister Magdalena Andersson’s Social Democrats, which have dominated Swedish politics since the 1930s.

– Concessions to far-right –

While far-right leader Jimmie Akesson said he “would have preferred to sit in government”, he stressed that the most important thing was that his party has influence over policy and that “the change of government represent a paradigm shift”.

“We are going to deliver policy, especially in those areas our voters think are extra important, and crime policy is one such area,” he told reporters.

While the quartet presented a united front on Friday, they have traditionally been divided on a number of key policy areas and major concessions were made in the agreement, primarily to meet the far-right’s demands.

As Sweden struggles to contain soaring gang shootings, the roadmap calls for body searches in some disadvantaged areas, harsher sentences for repeat offenders, double sentences for certain crimes and anonymous witnesses. These were all major concessions by the small Liberal party.

It also calls for major cuts to generous refugee policies in Sweden, a country of 10.5 million that has welcomed around half a million asylum seekers in the past decade.

The incoming government said it aims to reduce the number of quota refugees from 6,400 last year to 900 per year during its four-year mandate, and introduce incentives to encourage immigrants to return home.

It will also probe the possibility of keeping asylum seekers in transit centres during their application process, as well as ditch Sweden’s development aid target of one percent of GDP and introduce a national ban on begging.

In another measure bearing the stamp of the far-right, the parties also agreed to examine the possibility of “expelling foreigners for misconduct”.

“Anyone in Sweden enjoying Swedish hospitality has an obligation to respect fundamental Swedish values and not disrespect the local population by their actions”, the document said.

It gave failure to follow regulations or having ties to criminal organisations as an example of grounds for removal.

The four parties also agreed to not reduce unemployment benefits, a major concession to the far-right by the Moderates.

– More nuclear –

Meanwhile, the future government also announced plans to build new nuclear reactors to meet the country’s rising electricity needs.

“The goal going forward is electrification and the way there is nuclear power,” the leader of the Christian Democrats Ebba Busch told reporters.

Sweden has in recent years shut down six of its 12 reactors and the remaining ones, at three nuclear power plants, generate about 30 percent of the electricity used in the country today.

But it has struggled to find viable alternative energy sources to replace nuclear power, with renewable energy not yet sufficient to fully meet its needs.

The outgoing Social Democratic government, in power for the past eight years, has traditionally been opposed to the construction of new reactors but acknowledged earlier this year that nuclear energy would be crucial for the foreseeable future.

In June, Swedish energy group Vattenfall said it was examining the possibility of building at least two small modular nuclear reactors.