Sasha and Marie-Juliette have been identified as the Riposte Alimentaire activists who threw pumpkin soup at Mona Lisa painting in viral video
A more sustainable agricultural system with improved working conditions and rights for farmers and the rising cost of food are the main concerns of the environmental organization Riposte Alimentaire.
Who are Sasha and Marie-Juliette Riposte Alimentaire activists who threw pumpkin soup at Mona Lisa painting in viral video
Par leur action non violente, Sasha (24ans) et Marie-Juliette (63ans) exigent la mise en place d'une Sécurité Sociale de l'Alimentation Durable. [2]
👉https://t.co/FLzMmVW4tW@SocialeAlim #SSAD #Alimentation pic.twitter.com/i4YS6VrrRX
— Riposte Alimentaire (@riposte_alim) January 28, 2024
On Sunday morning in Paris, two demonstrators from the French environmental group Riposte Alimentaire (Food Counterattack) threw pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Consistently rated as the most renowned painting in the world, it is protected from bullets by a bulletproof glass case and escaped damage from the attack.
Around 10:00 in the morning local time, Sasha, 24, and Marie-Juliette, 63, flung the soup and then stepped in front of the picture to make their intentions clear. They shouted about what was more important: art or the right to healthy and sustainable food. They even criticized the agriculture system, saying farmers are dying.
The Mona Lisa’s room, the Salle des Etats, was quickly evacuated so that the painting’s protective glass could be cleaned, and the Louvre’s security personnel scrambled to hide the demonstrators behind black screens. At 11:30 a.m., the gallery was once again available to the public.
There has been a recent upsurge in protests in the French capital, which includes the attack on the Mona Lisa. Major highways leading into the city have been blocked by farmers to raise awareness of their predicament with poor pay, more red tape, and growing fuel costs. A large demonstration is expected in Paris today, and 15,000 police officers have been stationed at airports and the Rungis International Market.
🦺 ACTION EN COURS – PARIS
Dimanche 28 janvier. 10h00
2 citoyennes engagées avec la nouvelle campagne Riposte Alimentaire ont aspergé de soupe le tableau “La Joconde” mondialement connu, exposé au Musée du Louvre. [1]#RiposteAlimentaire #A22Network #Joconde #Louvre pic.twitter.com/wfdUhf6K5G
— Riposte Alimentaire (@riposte_alim) January 28, 2024
Attacking the Monalisa catches attention!
The Mona Lisa has been the victim of threats before. Another climate demonstrator did the same in 2022, smearing cake all over the glass before being led off by security. In the name of climate action, there was a global upsurge in attacks on art that year; however, in 2023, these attacks decreased in frequency.
The magnificent work of art by Leonardo da Vinci has been protected behind glass since the 1950s, when a burglar tried to remove it from its frame. It was nevertheless attacked again in 1956. First, while the picture was temporarily lent to an exhibition in Montauban, unguarded, a vandal splashed acid at it. A few months later, a different man struck the Mona Lisa with a rock hard enough to crack the glass case and chip away at some of the pigment.