Activists convicted of criminal damage
Two activists with the group Just Stop Oil were found guilty of criminal damage after they stuck themselves to the frame of a Vincent van Gogh painting in a London art gallery. Emily Brocklebank, who is 24, and Louis McKechnie, who is 22, attached themselves to the 1889 painting "Peach Trees in Blossom" at the Courtauld Gallery and caused just under £2,000 worth of damage, their trial heard on Tuesday.
The frame was damaged in a way that could not be repaired
District Judge Neeta Minhas told Westminster magistrates court that the frame, which was made in the 18th century and is older than the painting itself, had been damaged in a way that could not be fixed. "It is not in a place where it can go back to where it started," she said as she gave her decision. "The painting is important in terms of history and art, and I think the damage is big. It is not small, unimportant, temporary, or unimportant."
The painting has not lost value
A lawyer for the activists, who are part of a group that is holding disruptive protests until the government agrees to stop all new oil and gas projects, asked a curator at the gallery if the action might have made the painting more valuable. "Let's say the institute wanted to sell it in 20 to 30 years. Is it possible that its value would go up between now and then?" Francesca Cociani, who was defending herself, asked the gallery's curator, Karen Serres, a question. Serres, who was the only witness at the trial, said, "Absolutely not." He also said that a famous Van Gogh painting wouldn't go up in value because of this. She also said that these works couldn't be sold because they were owned by a trust that held items at the gallery and were meant to be shown to the public.
A student from Yeadon, Leeds, has been sentenced
The court watched CCTV footage that showed the activists walking into the building at about 3:45 p.m. on June 30 after buying tickets to an art show. Then, they took off their coats to show orange T-shirts that said "Stop Oil" and stuck themselves to the art. Brocklebank, a student from Yeadon, Leeds, got a 21-day sentence that was suspended for six months. However, he has to follow a six-week curfew that is monitored by technology. McKechnie spent three weeks in jail. She had already told the court, "If you want to protest, you can't just talk. By gluing, it gives a story that the media chooses to follow." "I didn't think I'd hurt anyone too much. The glue peels off."
There are concerns over the solvent used by police to dispose of protesters
She said that the owner of the painting would have "agreed" to the protest and added, "Any good person would agree with trying to keep life on Earth alive." The prosecutor, Jonathan Bryan, said that the defendants said they were exercising their rights to freedom of speech and assembly under the European convention. However, he added that these were not absolute rights, but rather rights that had some restrictions. Serres told the court that it took three hours to get the protesters out, and he also said, "There were worries about how much glue got into the frame and the painting itself." The court also heard that there were worries about the solvent the police used to get rid of the protesters. Xavier Gonzales-Trimmer, who is 21 years old, was accused of "distracting the guards" and was facing the same charges, but they were dropped. But he was fined because he didn't show up to court for the first hearing.
Jean Dubreil