293
submitted 8 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Visitors at Louvre look on in shock as Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece attacked by environmental protesters

Two environmental protesters have hurled soup on to the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, calling for “healthy and sustainable food”. The painting, which was behind bulletproof glass, appeared to be undamaged.

Gallery visitors looked on in shock as two women threw the yellow-coloured soup before climbing under the barrier in front of the work and flanking the splattered painting, their right hands held up in a salute-like gesture.

One of the two activists removed her jacket to reveal a white T-shirt bearing the slogan of the environmental activist group Riposte Alimentaire (Food Response) in black letters.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Riccosuave@lemmy.world 120 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I really hate the destruction or attempted destruction of art in order to bring awareness to a social cause. I get in this case the painting is highly protected, ~~but there have been plenty of other instances where this has happened to other art where that wasn't the case~~.

Not only are you a self-entitled piece of shit for tying to destroy something that is on display for public enjoyment, but you are virtually guaranteeing that anybody who didn't already agree with you won't take you seriously because you are acting like such a piece of shit.

Seriously, there are a lot of legitimate reasons for civil disobedience and public protest. This is not the way to go about that, and if you think it is then fuck you in particular.

Edit: I didn't think this was going to be such a divisive issue. After some further research I am retracting my earlier statement about other art being damaged in these protests because I don't see much evidence for that after all. It seems like these protestors are often targeting art they know will get maximum media exposure without causing lasting damage.

HOWEVER, I still think this type of action is counterproductive when you are trying to, hopefully, win over people that either do not support or are not aware of your message. Collective action is an effective means to make change in society. I am, again, not disputing that. I just think that if the goal is to gain broad support for your cause you need to choose targets that are more representative of that cause; rather than art, which does get media exposure, but which ultimately serves to obfuscate or overshadow the true purpose behind your protest. Being savvy about your target audience goes further and deeper into the social zeitgeist than simply getting headlines for being angsty.

[-] Grimy@lemmy.world 80 points 8 months ago

There hasn't really been many instance of art getting destroyed. This is legitimate imo, it gets in the news and no real damage is done. Personally, I think it's not far enough.

If oil companies get their way, whole countries are going to be destroyed, not just paintings.

It's also plain to see that any form of protest against oil companies is quickly villainized by the media. There's an agenda at play when you can't march, stand in traffic or just throw soup at glass.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago

Wasn't even about climate change.

[-] Cogency@lemmy.world 21 points 8 months ago

To think sustainability in agriculture is not about climate change is rather a narrow definition of climate change.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

They were supposedly upset about food security. Yeah this right here is a great example of why these performative protests don't work. No one can even agree why they did it.

[-] Cogency@lemmy.world 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Performative protests are a warning that things aren't right. And French history has shown a penchant for heavy sharp falling objects to the back of the neck as the next alternative.

load more comments (6 replies)
[-] TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.id 5 points 8 months ago

Blocking traffic is pretty shitty though because you're hurting working people as opposed to the people who have real power and status in society. These are people who depend on hourly wages and often have multiple jobs together with childcare scheduling commitments and the like.

[-] PoliticalAgitator@lemmy.world 27 points 8 months ago

Just wait until they find out how inconvenient widespread environmental catastrophe is.

[-] helenslunch@feddit.nl 3 points 8 months ago

If oil companies get their way, whole countries are going to be destroyed, not just paintings.

Relevance?

It's also plain to see that any form of protest against oil companies is quickly villainized by the media.

LOL what? Maybe if by "the media" you mean Fox News?

[-] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 35 points 8 months ago

The Mona Lisa is behind bullet proof glass and everybody knows it. Relax.

[-] Spzi@lemm.ee 31 points 8 months ago

This is not the way to go about that

What is your way to go about that?

If you aren't doing anything, what way(s) would you deem acceptable? If you know acceptable ways, why aren't you following through? Honest if-questions, not meant as assumptions.

Healthy and sustainable food seems to be a decent goal. People should be able to get behind this. So if all the disagreement is about the right approach, where are the people with the right approach, and where are all the people voicing their concern about art supporting them?

Please help me out. It feels as if people are more concerned about pieces of art which they may never see, than about healthy food, the climate, or other major issues which affect everyone.

I get why it puts people off, these points exist. I just wonder what the "right" alternative to these "wrong" approaches is, and wether the critics walk the talk.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 15 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I get in this case the painting is highly protected, but there have been plenty of other instances where this has happened to other art where that wasn't the case.

Which ones? I've heard a lot of complaining about people destroying art that was protected and not damaged. The target of this kind of thing isn't the art, it's the headlines. They don't actually want to damage the art, so they purposefully target famous art that is protected. The media will quickly try to minimize that it was protected and lead people to believe they caused actual damage though, so that often gets lost.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Ah yes it is the media's fault for not providing free advertising for them.

[-] maynarkh@feddit.nl 10 points 8 months ago

No, the problem is that money decides which issues are important in the first place.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 6 points 8 months ago

No, it's societies fault for not doing what we need to do. It's the medias fault that this gathers attention and makes it an effective and harmless method of protest.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] MiltownClowns@lemmy.world 13 points 8 months ago

No art is touched in these protests. Its like y'all never heard of glass before.

[-] CaptPretentious@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You nailed it. I've never heard of this group before, but out of principal I don't support them. You're a better ways to get attention. This is a kin to a child during a temper tantrum, destroying things to get attention.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 18 points 8 months ago

So now they've caused no damage and you have heard of them, yet for some reason you don't support them? What better way to gain your support should they have tried? Should they have just asked nicely?

This was a cheap and effective way to make international news. It caused no damage and no one was hurt in the process. This is what people who complain about protesting say the ideal outcomes are, yet still they complain. If they block traffic, that's disrupting people's lives. If they damage proterty, that's bad because you aren't supposed to cause damage. If they do neither, that's bad because they aren't supposed to make you consider them. Come on. What method is the right one in your opinion?

[-] CaptPretentious@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

You can think of a single way to get a message out there outside of this act... Really...

Gosh if there was only a method to communicate with people all across the world... Perhaps social platforms or mediums of which to put forth an idea that could just naturally get shared with everybody else... Terrible shame nothing like that exists.

Saying that the painting wasn't damaged is very shortsighted. What if these places determine that the risk just isn't worth it. Sure it's behind bulletproof Glass but not everything is. I really hate it when people assume that the repercussions for their actions are either immediate or they won't exist.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 9 points 8 months ago

Saying that the painting wasn't damaged is very shortsighted. What if these places determine that the risk just isn't worth it. Sure it's behind bulletproof Glass but not everything is. I really hate it when people assume that the repercussions for their actions are either immediate or they won't exist.

They specifically target painting that are behind glass. It wasn't a mistake that they didn't damage the painting. It was by design. If it weren't protected by glass they almost certainly would choose one that is. The point isn't to cause damage. It's to get articles written about them. Social media posts won't get anyone's attention.

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Wasting our fucking time. These shits keep breaking stuff and wonder why no one is treating their ideas worth of respect.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 8 points 8 months ago
load more comments (5 replies)
[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

What better way to gain your support should they have tried? Should they have just asked nicely?

Yes.

If they block traffic, that’s disrupting people’s lives.

And emergency vehicles. I don't know why no one else thinks this is a big deal. Do you really want fire trucks and ambulances and people going to the hospital to be blocked? What about regular people? I have to pick up my kids from aftercare mon-friday why would it be a good thing that my kids have to spend who knows how many hours stuck there?

If they damage proterty, that’s bad because you aren’t supposed to cause damage.

I agree. Please don't damage property.

Come on. What method is the right one in your opinion?

Peaceful protest, dialog, websites, YouTube videos, social media posts, pamphlets, books, seminars, lectures, speeches, letter writing campaigns, change.org....

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 11 points 8 months ago

This was a peaceful protest! No one was hurt and nothing was damaged. It also reached a lot more people than a post on social media would and way more than a picket would.

You think they don't do these other things because you don't hear about them. That's why they do this. The other methods no one hears about.

No change has ever happened from purely peaceful protest. If that were effective it wouldn't be legal.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Destruction of property isn't peaceful.

[-] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 7 points 8 months ago

It's a good thing no property was destroyed then

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

And if it had been would the argument change?

[-] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Maybe? But that's irrelevant. No property was damaged. It was a peaceful protest.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] SilentStorms@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 8 months ago

Protestors will almost always allow emergency vehicles through their roadblocks.

People always bring this up, but the reality is they just don't want protests to cause the most minor of inconveniences for them.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Protestors will almost always allow emergency vehicles through their roadblocks.

Load of crap. That group Just Stop Oil managed to delay a woman getting her kid to the hospital. And the peices of shit who run it refuse to apologize. It doesn't matter anyway because when the road is blocked up it still delays everything. Also who the fuck made them god? When did they get permission to just decide for the rest of us who gets to go and who doesn't? I didn't vote for them.

People always bring this up

Yes people tend to mention when you do shit that hurts people. Maybe there is a fucking reason for it?

but the reality is they just don’t want protests to cause the most minor of inconveniences for them.

Oh look a bloody mind-reader here! Everyone stop we got a guy here who can read the minds of thousands of people across multiple continents across decades. Hey since you are a mind reader what do you think I am thinking about your cavalier attitude towards human life right now?

[-] gregorum@lemm.ee 9 points 8 months ago

Oh look a bloody mind-reader here!

you’re the one claiming - in several comments, and without evidence - to know that:

  • “no one even knows what it is about"
  • "no one else knows what their cause was about" etc.

and the most tone-deaf comment bordering on self-awareness: "Someone completely unable to grasp that there are others around them and they got their own needs and wants."

load more comments (8 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2024
293 points (100.0% liked)

World News

38849 readers
1447 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS