Police arrested two German protesters who threw mashed potatoes at a Claude Monet painting, in a bid to bring attention to climate change.
An incident at the Barberini Museum in Potsdam, Berlin, has seen two protesters arrested for property damage and trespassing after they threw mashed potato at Monet’s “Les Meules” painting.
“This painting is not going to be worth anything if we have to fight over food.” Taking to Twitter, the group shared a filmed video of the protest. “We make this #Monet the stage and the public the audience. If it takes a painting – with #MashedPotatoes or #TomatoSoup thrown at it – to make society remember that the fossil fuel course is killing us all: Then we’ll give you #MashedPotatoes on a painting!”
The German climate group, The Last Generation, has claimed responsibility for the mashed potato protest and has shared a video via their Twitter account, showing two activists throwing mashed potatoes at the painting.
They then glued their hands to the walls to further demonstrate their stance on climate. And said “People are starving, people are freezing, people are dying. We are in a climate catastrophe. And the only thing you’re afraid of is tomato soup or mashed potatoes on a painting,”
“Do you know what I’m afraid of? That science says that we will not be able to feed our families in 2050. Does it take mashed potatoes on a painting to make you listen? This painting will be worth nothing when we are fighting over food. When is the point that you will finally listen and not just carry on as before?”
Local police did not respond to a question posed by the press as to why the protesters were arrested for property damage given that the painting was unharmed.
Rest assured, the painting, like all expensive works of art, is encased behind a security glass panel and was unharmed. The Museum has since added, that the painting will be back on display by Wednesday.
Watch the protest below:
We make this #Monet the stage and the public the audience.
If it takes a painting – with #MashedPotatoes or #TomatoSoup thrown at it – to make society remember that the fossil fuel course is killing us all:
Then we'll give you #MashedPotatoes on a painting! pic.twitter.com/HBeZL69QTZ
— Letzte Generation (@AufstandLastGen) October 23, 2022
