Just Stop Oil activists jailed for throwing soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in London

Two Just Stop Oil activists, Phoebe Plummer, 23, and Anna Holland, 22, have been sentenced to prison for throwing tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London. Plummer was handed a two-year prison sentence, while Holland received a 20-month sentence, with only half to be served in custody. The incident, which took place in October 2022, caused an estimated £10,000 in damage to the painting’s frame, though the artwork itself was protected by glass.

Judge Christopher Hehir, presiding at Southwark Crown Court, condemned the act, saying, “You two simply had no right to do what you did… Your arrogance in thinking otherwise deserves the strongest condemnation.” He noted that their actions came dangerously close to irreparably damaging the famous painting

Plummer and Holland threw the soup over the artwork before gluing themselves to the gallery wall in a protest aimed at raising awareness of climate change. In a 20-minute address to the court, Plummer defended her actions as a form of non-violent civil resistance, citing figures like Emmeline Pankhurst and Nelson Mandela​

Judge Hehir emphasized the potential harm the act could have caused, stating that only custodial sentences were appropriate due to the seriousness of the offense​