"At approximately 10 a.m. on Sunday, January 28, 2024, two activists from the environmental movement 'Riposte Alimentaire' (food protest) threw pumpkin soup at the armored glass protecting the Mona Lisa painting," the Louvre Museum in Paris (France) said in a statement.
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After throwing pumpkin soup at the painting, the two protesters breached the barricades, chanting slogans demanding the right to "healthy and sustainable food." They also declared that "our agricultural system is failing," then removed their outer jackets to reveal white T-shirts printed with the Riposte Alimentaire group's slogan.
Immediately, museum security intervened, erecting black cloth screens around the painting and the two protesters. The museum said it is filing a complaint.
The environmental group Riposte Alimentaire also confirmed that two protesters associated with the group's campaign were responsible for the vandalism. The painting was behind bulletproof glass and therefore was not damaged in the incident.
The incident occurred as French farmers continued their nationwide protests on Saturday (January 27) and continued to threaten barricades around Paris, arguing that government measures were insufficient to meet their demands for better living conditions and wages.
Widely regarded as the world's most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, Mona Lisa, attracts millions of visitors to the Louvre Museum each year. They queue in long lines to pose for photos next to the artwork.
For a long time, this Renaissance masterpiece has faced numerous acts of vandalism and theft. In 1911, an employee of the Louvre itself attempted to steal the painting. The lower part of the painting was also attacked with acid in the 1950s, prompting the museum to strengthen security around the work, including installing bulletproof glass.
In 2009, an angry woman threw a ceramic cup at the painting, shattering it but leaving the painting unharmed. Then, in 2022, a tourist threw a cake all over the protective glass of the Mona Lisa portrait.
Hoai Phuong (according to CNN, AP)
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