Two protestors have thrown soup at the Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre, Paris, as part of a food security protest.
Footage shows two women crossing a security boundary to get closer to the painting, with both throwing soup towards the Leonardo da Vinci artwork.
"What's the most important thing?" one women shouted. "Art or right to healthy and sustainable food?"
A video shows staff quickly blocking view to the painting using a black screen and telling visitors to leave.
The Mona Lisa is already behind a glass pane in the Louvre and was not damaged by the protestors.
🚨🗼Protesters throw soup at the glass-protected Mona Lisa in Paris#protesters #Paris #monalisa pic.twitter.com/KGRUGedoRD
— EUROPE CENTRAL (@europecentrral) January 28, 2024
Climate group Riposte Alimentaire (Food Security) claimed the protest as their own, saying they and the two women demand the “establishment of Sustainable Food Social Security” in France.
“In France, one in three people skip meals due to lack of means,” it said on social media. “At the same time, 20% of the food produced is thrown away.
“Our model stigmatises the most precarious and does not respect our fundamental right to food.
“To avoid the mass famines that threaten us, we urgently need to transform our food production model.”
The group is demanding the introduction of a “food card” worth €150 a month to buy “approved and democratically selected products”.
🦺 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
This protest comes amid campaigns by French farmers against pay, rising costs and regulation.
Farmers set up a tractor blockade in Brittany, northern France, On Wednesday, January 24th, to protest for better pay for their produce.
This is the second time in recent years the world-class Mona Lisa painting has been subject to a food attack.
In May 2022, someone through a custard pie at the Mona Lisa, but the glass barrier surrounding it meant it wasn’t harmed.
Roughly 10 million people visit the Louvre every year, with most coming to see the masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.
