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submitted 1 year ago by GreyShuck@feddit.uk to c/climate@slrpnk.net

Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested after smashing the glass covering a Diego Velázquez painting at the National Gallery in London, as police detained dozens of others who blocked Whitehall.

Two activists targeted the glass on the Rokeby Venus painting with safety hammers before they were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

The artwork, which was painted by Velázquez in the 1600s, was slashed by the suffragette Mary Richardson in 1914. One of those involved on Monday said: “Women did not get the vote by voting; it is time for deeds not words.”

The Metropolitan police said at least 40 activists who were “slow marching” in Whitehall were also detained and that the road was clear after traffic was stopped for a brief period.

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[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

How about we start disrupting oil HQs and distribution centers? I feel like clogging supply chains will get more attention than destroying art.

[-] GreyShuck@feddit.uk 18 points 1 year ago

How about we start disrupting oil HQs and distribution centers?

It's a bit late to start it:

Just Stop Oil protests: Terminal operations suspended and arrests made

And - although I have not been involved with JSO, I was locking on to fuel stations a couple of decades ago, with Greenpeace.

So far that hasn't done the trick though.

[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

It just seems the art approach makes them look bad. Maybe its time to take a jackhammer to major freeways instead. Dunno if thats better but at least its not completely out of the blue like damaging art.

[-] GreyShuck@feddit.uk 14 points 1 year ago

Maybe its time to take a jackhammer to major freeways instead.

Reclaim the streets did that on the Westway in London at a demo that I was at back in the '90s. They hid all the gear under gigantic carnival costumes and planted trees in the holes. You couldn't hear the jackhammers due to the sound system.

It was a great party - and it wasn't the only time - but that didn't work either.

[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I see how we arrived where we are then. Thank you. Though it is rather disheartening. There is a way somewhere.

[-] Chariotwheel@kbin.social 15 points 1 year ago

Just Stop Oil does that too, but that's not getting media attention. Hence this.

[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Yeah theres a whole chain down here that explains the history. Sad to say the least.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

These are essentially publicity stunts, right? They don't think destroying art will decrease carbon emissions somehow?

[-] GreyShuck@feddit.uk 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It is very clearly about publicity. You can't get any message across unless you get someone's attention in the first place.

In this case, they are playing on the link back to the suffragettes.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Seems to me like they're getting a net negative message across since they're seen more as nuts. But I hope someone there has done the sociology analysis to see if it's actually a net positive or negative impact on their cause.

[-] GreyShuck@feddit.uk 11 points 1 year ago

There have been studies on this kind of thing. I don't have the links to hand, but the upshot from the ones that I have seen IIRC is that it doesn't generally cause many people to actually change their views from positive to negative or vice versa, but it does keep the issue in the news.

Of course, in the wider perspective, no protests of this kind are ever going to work alone, but then that's not the idea. They are never going to be happening alone either: there are always going to legal challenges, political movements, consumer pressure, boycotts and so on and so on alongside. The question is, which ones drive which others? Which wouldn't happen without the others?

[-] Number1SummerJam@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I would do anything to stop the climate catastrophe at this point. Good for them.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But if what they're doing has a net negative perception to the cause, they're hurting our chances of minimizing global warming, not helping it.

[-] Number1SummerJam@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Anyone who doesn’t see how bad climate change is at this point is a fool

[-] krashmo@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

For real. Willful ignorance is one thing on its own but when the consequence of it is this catastrophic I'm not sure what to even call it.

I recently had a conversation with a rural gentleman who said "we sure seem to be having some crazy weather lately" but calls climate change a liberal hoax. This conversation took place on the bank of a river that had just experienced something worse than a 1000 year flood. There had been 6 more houses within a stones throw of us less than a week ago. Now they were somewhere downstream along with the very ground on which their foundations had rested.

This man is living the consequences of climate change more than most and yet he still refuses to see the problem for what it is. I have no idea what to call that other than lunacy.

[-] Poggervania@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

Which is not the point that poster is trying to make.

They’re basically asking “is this message effective or is it having a negative impact on the overall goal to the cause?” Whether people (jfc can’t believe I’m about to say this) don’t believe in climate change or not is a completely different conversation than the one being had here, which is talking about whether this group is doing good or not. I would say it’s overall helping because any attention is actually good attention if you’re smart enough to capitalize on it and present an argument or statement in an attempt to change people’s minds.

Can you try contributing instead of being a Redditor and saying general and slightly on-topic shit for some sick upvotes?

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[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

But the world is full of a whole lot of fools, and we still need to convince at least some of them.

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[-] FarraigePlaisteach@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

We are in a net negative situation.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Wdym? An action like this will either help or hurt their cause in aggregate.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 10 points 1 year ago

As far as I can tell they don't have a cohesive goal. In theory yeah they are publicity stunts, but so what? No one really disagrees with them. Most members of the public do agree that climate change is a problem, the issue is corporations and governments.

[-] FarraigePlaisteach@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

That’s unfair. Our well paid leaders don’t have a cohesive plan. Let’s hold them to that standard and not the protesters who are actually worried about the future.

[-] Number1SummerJam@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

No art was harmed in the making of this

[-] scytale@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Depends on the art. I think some, especially the very old ones, can deteriorate just by getting exposed to the air.

[-] Number1SummerJam@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Worked for a museum, there is no way they are penetrating that glass

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

There's always a risk, art is very delicate.

[-] Number1SummerJam@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Honestly the artists would be on their side

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[-] AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 year ago

I dont understand these people. If you have a problem you dont solve it by wrecking art. You have to go straight to the politicians. Stage a protest in front of the capital or something. You have to be more agressive and direct.

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this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2023
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