{"id":1220,"date":"2024-01-28T20:16:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-28T20:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ventil.rs\/blog\/entertainment\/protesters-throw-soup-at-mona-lisa\/"},"modified":"2024-01-28T20:16:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-28T20:16:02","slug":"protesters-throw-soup-at-mona-lisa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ventil.rs\/blog\/entertainment\/protesters-throw-soup-at-mona-lisa\/","title":{"rendered":"Protesters throw soup at Mona Lisa"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Two female activists tossed soup at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre on Sunday in a protest over food security and protections for farmers. The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, which is fortified behind armored glass, was not damaged, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhat\u2019s the most important thing?\u201d the women shouted<\/a> in French to a crowd of onlookers after tossing soup at the painting. \u201cArt, or the right to healthy and sustainable food?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOur farming system is sick,\u201d they said. \u201cOur farmers are dying at work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Videos and photos of the incident that went viral Sunday morning showed the protective barrier of the Mona Lisa covered in streaks of orange soup. The Louvre did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Members of the Louvre\u2019s security entered the \u201cSalle des Etats\u201d room where the painting is displayed and video footage showed them blocking the women with black screens before removing them from the area. Paris police made two arrests following the incident, according to the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How do you think we’re doing? Take a short survey about the new Style.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The two activists appeared to be wearing white T-shirts with black lettering spelling out the phrase \u201cRiposte Alimentaire,\u201d the name of a food security protest group that claimed responsibility<\/a> for the incident. \u201cRiposte Alimentaire\u201d roughly translates to \u201cfood response,\u201d in English.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In a translated statement<\/a> posted to X (formerly Twitter), Riposte Alimentaire said the women\u2019s actions were nonviolent and that they were hoping to raise awareness about the issues farmers face and concerns about the world\u2019s food security. The group also called for<\/a> French citizens to receive a food card worth 150 euros (about $163) per month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cFarmers are squeezed by the pressures of mass distribution, going so far as to make them sell at a loss,\u201d the group said, according to a translation. \u201cOur agricultural and food system also has extremely worrying environmental consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Riposte Alimentaire is a part of the A22 movement<\/a>, a collection of protester groups like Just Stop Oil, which made headlines in 2022 after pouring soup on Vincent van Gogh\u2019s \u201cSunflowers\u201d<\/a> painting at London\u2019s National Gallery museum, which led to arrests and minor damage to the painting\u2019s frame.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Mona Lisa incident comes as French farmers are protesting<\/a> for better protection against imports and increased pay for what they produce, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rachida Dati, France\u2019s minister for culture, said in an X post<\/a> Sunday that no cause can justify an attack on the Mona Lisa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe Mona Lisa, like our heritage, belongs to future generations,\u201d Dati wrote.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Mona Lisa has been targeted by protesters in the past. In 2022, a man who dressed as an elderly woman<\/a> smeared the painting with a cakelike cream. More than a decade earlier in 2009, a woman threw a ceramic cup at the painting. In 1956, the painting was hit by a rock and acid, which led the museum to put it behind glass.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n