Activists who poured soup on Van Gogh's Sunflowers were sentenced to up to two years in prison

A court has sentenced two Just Stop Oil activists to prison for pouring tomato soup on Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London, BBC News reports.

23-year-old Phoebe Plummer was sentenced to two years in prison, 22-year-old Anna Holland - 20 months. In July, a jury found the activists guilty of unlawful damage.

Plummer and Holland, wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts, which advocates ending fossil fuel extraction, doused "Sunflowers" in tomato soup and glued their palms to the wall below the painting in October 2022. The canvas was under protective glass and was not damaged. As a result of the action, an Italian frame from the 17th century worth 10 thousand pounds sterling ($13.4 thousand) was damaged.

Judge Christopher Hehir, handing down the sentence, said the "cultural treasure" could have been "severely damaged or even destroyed" during the action. “You didn’t care whether the painting was damaged or not. You had no right to do what you did with Sunflowers,” he said, addressing the activists.

Before the action, the activists made sure that the painting was protected, Holland’s defense said. Plummer, who represented herself in court, said the verdict was not only against activists, but also against “the foundations of democracy.”