ADDS REACTIONS; REVISES LEDE
By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - Two climate activists who threw soup at Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting in 2022 were jailed Friday by a London court.
Anna Holland, 22, and Phoebe Plummer, 23, have been jailed for their controversial protest to raise awareness about climate change at the National Gallery in October 2022.
Holland and Plummer -- members of Just Stop Oil, a British environmental activist group – were found guilty of criminal damage at Southwark Crown Court in July, for throwing cans of tomato soup at Gogh's Sunflowers, the world-famous painting, which is protected by glass. Just after throwing the soup, they glued themselves to the wall beneath the artwork.
During the hearing at the court, Judge Christopher Hehir sentenced Plummer to two years and three months and Holland to 20 months in prison.
Just Stop Oil said the judge "turns state repression into an art form," in reaction to the sentences.
"As the nation grapples with these immediate consequences of climate change, those advocating for urgent action are being silenced and imprisoned," it said in a statement.
The group also pointed out the presence of many outside the court to show solidarity with Holland and Plummer.
Labour lawmaker Zarah Sultana criticized the ruling, comparing the case to Huw Edwards, a former BBC presenter who received a suspended sentence despite being convicted of making indecent images of children.
"Sentencing laws aren't fit for purpose," Sultana wrote on X.