The demonstrators arrived at the framework with the aim of promoting “the right to a healthy and sustainable food system.”
On Sunday, January 28, two environmental activists threw soup onto the armored glass protecting the Mona Lisa, in the Louvre Museum, and justified their action by the desire to promote “the right to a healthy and sustainable food system.”
The world's most famous painting, by Leonardo da Vinci, has been on display behind protective glass since 2005 and has been the target of vandalism on several occasions.
In May 2022, for example, he was the target of a cream pie.
In a video clip posted on social media, two women with the phrase “Food Riposte” written on their shirts were seen passing under a security barrier to approach the painting, and throwing soup on the glass that protects Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.
“What is most important?” They shouted. “Art or the right to a healthy and sustainable food system?
They added: “Our agricultural system is sick. Our farmers are dying while working.”
Louvre Museum employees were seen placing black boards in front of the Mona Lisa and asking visitors to leave the room.
The “Food Riposte” group points out on its website that the French government is violating its climate commitments and calls for the creation of a health system equivalent to the state system, so that people can have better access to healthy food at the same time. So that farmers get a decent income.
For days, French farmers have been using their tractors to block roads and slow traffic across France, seeking better wages for their produce, less bureaucracy and protection against imports.
They also threw agricultural waste at the doors of government offices.
The government on Friday announced a series of measures that, according to farmers, do not fully meet their demands, which include a “radical simplification” of some technical measures and a gradual end to taxes on diesel for agricultural vehicles.
Some farmers threatened to gather in Paris starting Monday to block the main roads leading to the capital.
The new Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, visited a farm today in the central Indre-et-Loire region and acknowledged that farmers are in a difficult situation.
He added: “On the one hand we say: We need quality, and on the other hand: We want increasingly lower prices,” considering it necessary to “find solutions in the short, medium and long term.”
Attal also said his government was considering “additional” measures against what he called “unfair competition” from other countries that have different production bases and import food into France.
Emily Brontë is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, literature, and current affairs. She is dedicated to producing clear, accurate reporting that helps readers stay informed about developments in the UK and around the world.
